CMV vs RRR Match Preview
The Comilla Victorians were one of the strongest teams in the previous season and ended up lifting the trophy for the 3rd time in its history.
Mohammad Rizwan, who has been consistently one of the top-performing batsmen in the T20s, joins the squad, along with other big hitters like Dawid Malan, Khushdil Shah, and Muhammad Nabi. Imrul Kayes and Brandon King will be seen at the top of the order, while Sean Williams brings all his all-round capabilities into the team.
The bowling looks pretty strong. Mustafizur Rahman, who was the leading wicket-taker last season, will once again spearhead the pace attack and will be joined by Shaheen Afridi and Hasan Ali, while a young Abrar Ahmed and Tanvir Islam will be seen in the spin department.
The Rangpur Riders, formerly known as the Rangpur Rangers, are back in the league after missing the previous season.
The team management has tried to strike a balance between experienced players as well as newcomers and seems to have done well in that department. Led by Nurul Hasan, the team has some well-known faces including Benny Howell, Shoaib Malik, and Pathum Nisaanka.
Sikandar Raza, who played extremely well in the most recent T20 World Cup also finds a spot in the squad, along with Mahedi Hasan, Shamim Hossain, Mohammad Nawaz, and Mohammad Naim. The bowling department looks a bit weak when compared to their opponents as the only experienced bowler here is Pakistan seamer Haris Rauf.
Other bowlers include Jeffrey Vandersay, Hasan Mahmud, Rakibul Hasan, and Robiul Haque.
Weather Report
There is no forecast of rain here on Friday and the temperature will remain around 20 degrees Celsius.
Since the match will be played under lights and it is expected to be quite humid, dew will play an important role in the second innings.
Pitch Report
The pitch at Sher E Bangla Stadium is flat and provides equal opportunities to both, the bowlers as well as the batsmen. The average first innings score here is around 145, which is a par score.
Notable stats
Mahedi Hasan’s All-Round Performance
Over the years, Mahedi Hasan has emerged to be a reliable all-rounder in the T20s. In his 114 appearances so far, Mahedi Hasan has scored 1272 runs and has also picked up 93 wickets.
Team News
As this is the first match of a fresh season, both sides have fully fit squads. However, some players might be unable due to ongoing commitments with the national side or with other Leagues.
CMV vs RRR Probable 11
CMV Playing 11
- Litton Das (C)
- Mustafizur Rahman
- Dawid Malan
- Chadwick Walton
- Khushdil Shah
- Moeen Ali
- Sunil Narine
- Mossadek Hossain
- Taijul Islam
- Imrul Jayes
- Fazalhaq Farooqi
RRR Playing 11
- Shoaib Malik
- Naim Sheikh
- Sikandar Raza
- Mahedi Hasan
- Hasan Mahmud
- Nurul Hasan (C)
- Benny Howell
- Rakibul Hasan
- Shamim Patwari
- Rony Talukdar
- Saim Ayub
Dream11 Prediction
We are backing the Comilla Victorians to win this game. They have plenty of big hitters in the squad who will have no problems dispatching the relatively inexperienced bowling lineup of the Raiders. Also, the bowling looks much stronger for the defending champions in the presence of Mustafizur Rahman, Shaheen Afridi, and Hasan Ali.
Top Picks
Litton Das: Litton Das was pretty consistent for the Victorians in the previous season. In the last 9 matches, Das has scored 209 runs at an average of 23.22 and a strike rate of 135.71.
Mustafizur Rahman: Mustafizur was the top wicket-taker in the league last season. In his past 9 appearances, he has picked up 16 wickets and has an economy rate of 6.81.
Dawid Malan: Dawid Malan will be making his BPL debut this season. Ranked 6th in the latest ICC rankings for T20 batsmen, Malan has scored 7895 runs in T20s at an average of 32.89 and a strike rate of 129.44.
CMV vs RRR Dream11 Team 1
Keeper: C Walton
Batters: S Malik, L Das (C), D Malan, N Sheikh
All-rounders: M Ali, S Narine (VC), M Hasan
Bowlers: M Rahman, H Mahmud, F Farooqi
