Rangpur: Rangpur Riders continued its juggernaut in the Bangladesh Premier League, having sealed an eighth straight victory when they defended a moderate total with incredible ease to beat Chittagong Kings by 33 runs at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium here. Pakistan recruit Khushdil Shah hammered a 28-ball 59 in a match where no one else could hit even 40, paving the platform for victory. Thereafter, his compatriot Akif Javed claimed 4-28 to hand Chittagong their second defeat in six matches. Chittagong Kings were eventually restricted to 131-8 after chasing the target of 165.
According to Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha, Rangpur, after being put into bat first, made a shaky start but relied on Khushdil's rapid knock to amass 164-7. Youngster Towfique Khan Tushar was out for 5, and Steven Taylor found it tough to rotate the scoreboard, contributing to Rangpur's forgettable start. Saif Hassan, who was in good touch, also struggled with the wicket. Aliss Al Islam picked up Saif Hassan, and Naeem Islam got the better of Taylor, leaving Rangpur at just 67-3 in 10.2 overs. Taylor made 39 off 32 balls, hitting two fours.
Arafat Sunny compounded Rangpur's woes further by taking out in-form Iftikhar Ahmed for 3. Khushdil then took charge, playing seemingly on a different surface. On a pitch where others struggled, he played his shots at will, throwing the bowlers into disarray. Even with little support from the other end, he single-handedly drove the side to over 150, smiting two fours and seven sixes in his knock. Aliss Al Islam and Mohammad Wasim took two wickets apiece for Chittagong.
Chittagong received a massive setback when left-arm spinner Rakibul Hasan removed Usman Khan for a first-ball duck. Fellow opener Parvez Hossain Emon hammered a whirlwind 14-ball 26, but Akif's wicket-taking act derailed Chittagong further. Akif dismissed Graham Clark (23), who had made a century against Khulna Tigers just 24 hours earlier. Clark's dismissal left Chittagong at 53-4 in the seventh over, effectively ruining their hopes of snapping Rangpur's dream run.
Shamim Patwari and Naeem Islam then shared a 53-run partnership for the fifth wicket, but the asking run rate climbed alarmingly, ensuring Chittagong's defeat long before the game ended. Patwari top-scored for the side with 38 off 31 balls, hitting one four and three sixes, while Naeem made 19. After his superb knock with the bat, Khushdil took two lower-order wickets, conceding 23 runs.