Chattogram’s youth takes on Khulna’s experience in title match

Arguably two of the most deserving sides in the five-team Bangabandhu T20 Cup will battle it out for the title as Gazi Group Chattogram take on Gemcon Khulna in the final today.

It has been an action-packed tournament with Chattogram, led by Mohammad Mithun, having been clinical from the start riding on two of the most elegant opening batsmen in Liton Das and Soumya Sarkar in prime form.

Liton in particular has been phenomenal with the bat. The stylish right-hander is the highest run-getter of the tournament with 370 in nine games, including three fifties. The port city side have also impressed with the ball with Mustafizur Rahman rediscovering his rhythm and sitting atop the wicket-takers' list with 21 scalps.

Even with Mustafizur and Liton's individual brilliance, what sets Chattogram apart is their collective approach with a relatively young side. Members of the Under-19 World Cup winning team, such as left-arm pacer Shoriful Islam, spinner Rakibul Hasan, off-spinner Nahidul Islam have also performed well and put their hands up at crucial moments with the ball.

Perhaps Chattogram's only weak link is their middle order, which has been mostly untested courtesy of some brilliant batting from the openers. Mahmudul Hasan Joy, another under-19 stalwart, has shown glimpses of his talent at number three. Skipper Mithun, Shamsur Rahman and Mosaddek Hossain will also have to fire if they face early hiccups.

Star-studded Khulna, on the other hand, is loaded with experience and Mahmudullah Riyad's side has gained momentum at just the right stage of the tournament.

However, Khulna will definitely miss their star-allrounder Shakib Al Hasan, who had to leave for the US after their first qualifier against Chattogram to be with his critically ill father-in-law.

Shakib had a quiet tournament with the bat -- his 28 in the first qualifier was his highest score. With the ball, although he picked up just six wickets, he was economical.

While Shakib's loss is a blow for any team, Khulna can take heart from the fact that they have made it this far without any major contributions from their best player. More importantly, they beat Chattogram by 47 runs in the first qualifier, when former Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza picked up his maiden five-wicket haul in T20 cricket.

Jahurul Islam, Imrul Kayes, and Shuvagata Hom also offer a lot of experience for Khulna and it is expected to be a cracker of a final where youth battle experience.