Anticipation grows on eve of BPL second phase

The 2015 Bangladesh Premier League Twenty20 has now reached its second phase. The penultimate phase will be hosted by the port city of Chittagong and all the eight matches will be held at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium.

Of the six participating teams, Barisal Bulls, Chittagong Vikings, Sylhet Super Stars and Rangpur Riders have already reached the port city by yesterday. Comilla Victorians are scheduled to reach Chittagong today while Dhaka Dynamites will take the 40-minute flight to the city tomorrow.

At the end of the first phase, Comilla, Rangpur and Dhaka are at the top of the standings with six points each. However, Rangpur have already played five matches while Comilla and Dhaka have played only four each. Barisal are at number four with two wins in three matches followed by Chittagong with one win in four games. At the very bottom are Sylhet who have made a controversial and disappointing start to the tournament. The side led by wicketkeeper-batsman Mushfiqur Rahim have lost four out of four games.

The second phase of the tournament kicks off tomorrow with home side Chittagong facing Barisal.

The Vikings, who are said to boast one of the strongest contingents in the tournament, have had a disappointing first phase, much like the Super Stars. The side’s batsmen delivered in the first three games but fielding failures have let the side down big time, leaving the bowlers helpless.

In the second game tomorrow, table-toppers Comilla will take on Sylhet. Comilla, skippered by veteran pacer Mashrafe bin Mortaza, will like to continue with their winning streak. Their opponents, Sylhet, on the other hand will be desperate for victory. Despite a sound squad, things have been very bad for the side in terms of results. They started their campaign with a controversy after they failed to submit NOCs (No Objection Certificates) in time, creating a mess in their opening game against Chittagong.