Bangladesh T20 League

29th Match: DHP vs RR

Preview

The 29th match of the Bangladesh T20 League will be played between Dhaka (DHP) and Royals (RR) on Monday, 30th January 2023, in Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet, at 01:00 PM IST.  Nurul is back as captain and wicketkeeper for the Riders who are keen to move ahead in the standings. The number 4 side team have recently found their rhythm after a few hiccups. The veteran all-rounder Shoaib Malik is back in form and will be the key player in this batting lineup.

DHP's batting struggles continue and have gotten even worse in recent times in their recent matches. The side was bowled out for 108 runs in the last match batting first. Previously, they finished with 104 for 9 chasing 165 runs against the Victorians.

Though the bowlers helped them to an astonishing win in the last game, the batting form will be a major concern as they face RR. Hasan Mahmud, Azmatullah, and Mahedi Hasan are all on top of their game in the RR’s bowling attack. The side will pose a tough challenge to an out-of-sorts DHP’s batting order.

A win in their opening match and then 6 consecutive losses till their second win of the season in the ongoing BAN T20 League. It was a long wait and even when it ended, DHP still found itself at the bottom of the standings. The recent win doesn’t give the experts’ a lot of confidence in Dhaka. The bowlers can’t be expected to defend below-par scores in every game.

And the batters must bounce back and put a competitive total on the board. Usman Ghani, Soumya Sarkar, and Mohammad Mithun are the key players in this lineup who can turn things around for DHP in this match. However, their inconsistency is only making things worse for Dhaka. Even when one of these players fire, others don’t and there are no significant partnerships.

Both Nasir Hossain and Taskin Ahmed have been impressed with the ball. Hossain needs to take the scoring responsibility too. At number 5 he has a crucial role to play. Not just to finish the innings, but also to build it up after the top order has collapsed. Ariful Haque is another hope for DHP in the lower order. Amir Hamza and Salman Irshad are other key bowlers in this squad to watch out for.

It was once again Shoaib Malik who led the comeback for RR as they posted 179 runs against Chattogram. While the veteran batter was unbeaten on 75 off 45 balls, another significant knock came from Azmatullah who scored 42 off 24 balls.

Both these batters added 104 runs for the 4th wicket. Later in the match, The fast gun bowler Haris Rauf and Rakibul Hasan helped the Riders secure a 55-run win. Azmatulla Omerzai took it a notch up in the upcoming match. This time with the ball. The 22-year-old bowling all-rounder picked 3 for 17 against Sylhet. 

Both the bowlers Mahedi Hasan and Hasan Mahmud also chipped in as RR restricted the Sixers to 92-9 after Nurul Hasan won the toss and opted to bowl first. Omerzai along with Nawaz in the lower middle order give depth to this batting lineup. Shamim Hossain and captain Hasan follow at 7 and 8. On paper, it looks like a solid batting lineup. But the side RR is dependent on a few key batters.

The team has been changing the top order quite often. As such the top-order is less likely to come good. And Malik will be once again under pressure to deliver a match-winning knock. Rony Talukdar, Mohammad Naim, and Mahedi Hasan will be the right options for the top 3.

Match Details

Match: DHP vs RR, 29th Match, Bangladesh T20 League

Date: Monday, January 30, 2023

Time: 01:00 PM

Venue: Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, Sylhet

Pitch & Weather Report

The average 1st innings score in domestic T20s at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium is 165 runs. Though a winning total at this venue would be 175+ it will not be easy to even chase a par total here. The spinners and seamers enjoy the surface while batters struggle to take advantage of the small boundaries. The death overs can be expensive as the finishers aim to clear the small boundaries.

In the international T20 matches at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium, the teams batting second have won 7 of the 8 matches. Whereas, in the domestic T20s, both have the same number of wins. It was seen in the recent match at this ground that it is not easy to bat here. Few batsmen have found success here. It would be ideal for teams to opt to bowl first and restrict the opposition to a par total. The weather will be pleasant for the day game. The temperature will be around 30°C - 14°C with a humidity of 67%. 

DHP vs RR Squads

DHP: Taskin Ahmed, Abdullah Al Mamun, Ahmed Shahzad, Al-Amin Hossain, Alok Kapali, Amir Hamza, Arafat Sunny, Ariful Haque, Robin Das, Delwar Hossain, Jubair Hussain, Chamika Karunaratne, Mizanur Rahman, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Mithun (WK), Mohor Sheikh, Monir Hussain, Muktar Ali, Dilshan Munaweera, Nasir Hossain (C), Salman Irshad, Shan Masood, Shoriful Islam, Soumya Sarkar, Usman Ghani

RR: Mohammad Naim, Rony Talukdar, Mahedi Hasan, Shoaib Malik (c), Parvez Hossain Emon (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Shamim Hossain, Azmatullah Omarzai, Hasan Mahmud, Haris Rauf, Rakibul Hasan, Saim Ayub, Nurul Hasan, Robiul Haque, Hasan Murad, Alauddin Babu, Ripon Mondol

DHP vs RR Probable XIs

DHP: Usman Ghani, Soumya Sarkar, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Mizanur Rahman, Nasir Hossain (c), Ariful Haque, Amir Hamza, Taskin Ahmed, Muktar Ali, Al-Amin Hossain, Arafat Sunny

RR: Mohammad Naim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Shoaib Malik, Mahedi Hasan, Mohammad Nawaz, Nurul Hasan(c/w), Shamim Hossain, Azmatullah Omarzai, Hasan Mahmud, Rakibul Hasan, Haris Rauf

Match Prediction

RR has a stronger overall squad that has recently found its rhythm and is back to winning ways. The pitch at Sylhet International Cricket Stadium isn’t ideal for an already struggling DHP batting lineup. It seems the advantage is with the RR. The Riders with their current form and squad strength start as favourites in our match prediction. We say RR to win.

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