Sylhet Sixers vs Rangpur Riders, Bangladesh Premier League 2019, Today Match Prediction 16 Jan 2019

syls vs rgr Match Prediction & Analysis

It has been a bad season so far for Sylhet Sixers and when they meet Rangpur Riders in the 18th game of BPL 2019 it would be the perfect opportunity for the side to return to form. They have a star packed line-up but it isn’t delivering and they would look to change that in the next game. Rangpur Riders on the other hand have played well and have been unlucky to lose their last two games by small margins. 

It will be a test of character for Sylhet Sixers in the next game and perhaps their last chance to be in the play-off contention while Rangpur Riders would be looking forward to moving up on the points table. 

TEAMS PREVIEW

Sylhet Sixers Preview

The team is looking out of sorts this season and they have only one win from the four games they have played so far and are sitting at the bottom of the table. 

They were bowled out for 68 runs in the last game against Comilla Victorians which would definitely dent their confidence. The batting was horrible and nothing to write about. David Warner the skipper hasn’t done well this season and Andre Fletcher is also struggling. The form of Afif Hossain and Liton Das also is below par. Apart from Nicholas Pooran none of the batsmen look in any sort of form which is pretty bad news for the side. 

The bowlers haven’t had much to bowl at in most games so far but Taskin Ahmed has looked in good rhythm. With Sohail Tanvir, Afif Hossain and Nabil Samad in their ranks they have the talent they can pose challenge to any opposition. It would be interesting to see how they bowl against the strong Rangpur Riders batting line-up. 

Sylhet Sixers Predicted Playing XI:

David Warner (c), Liton Das (wk), Andre Fletcher, Afif Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Nicholas Pooran, Alok Kapali, Sohail Tanvir, Nabil Samad, Taskin Ahmed, Al-Amin Hossain.

Sylhet Sixers Actual Playing XI:

Liton Das, Taskin Ahmed, Sandeep Lamichhane, S Tanvir, Alok Kapali, Nicholas Pooran, Sabbir Rahman, Afif Hossain, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Jaker Ali Anik, David Warner

Rangpur Riders Preview

Mashrafe Mortaza’s side comes into this game having lost two close games against Dhaka Dynamites and Rajshahi Kings and look to make amends in the next game. 

The opening combination of Chris Gayle and Mehedi Maruf hasn’t done well and the big man might just be a game away from brilliance. It is in the middle order that the team has its strength. Rilee Rossouw is the top run getter this season and Mohammad Mithun played a brilliant knock in the last game. Ravi Bhopara too has shown his brilliance earlier and with Mashrafe Mortaza towards the end they have a good batting unit. 

On the bowling front Mashrafe Mortaza has been leading from the front and is the highest wicket-taker of the season. Farhad Reza also had a good outing in the previous game. Nazmul Islam and Nahidul Islam add great variety to the bowling attack and they bowled well in the last game. Together these guys form a great bowling unit that would challenge the opposition. 

Rangpur Riders Predicted Playing XI:

Chris Gayle, Mashrafe Mortaza (c), Farhad Reza, Ravi Bopara, Rilee Rossouw, Shafiul Islam, Benny Howell, Sohag Gazi, Mohammad Mithun (wk), Nazmul Islam, Nahidul Islam.

Rangpur Riders Actual Playing XI:

Alex Hales, RR Rossouw, Mashrafe Mortaza, Nahidul Islam, Mohammad Mithun, Mehedi Maruf, S Gazi, Farhad Reza, Shafiul Islam, Benny Howell, Chris Gayle

Weather Conditions

We have seen two low scoring games on this pitch already. There is lateral movement and ball doesn’t quite come on to the bat. Here batsmen need to wait for the right scoring opportunities than playing slam bang cricket. It would be a cool winter evening in Sylhet on January 16 with some cloud cover and this should excite the fast bowlers. 

Venue

The average first innings score in the two games so far this season has been around 100 runs! It isn’t what T20 fans quite love to see but bowlers definitely would like to play on wickets like these. Batsmen who are willing to play the patient game can score here and fast bowlers also get good return from it. 

Toss: To Bowl

Win the toss and bowl first would be the most logical thing to do in an evening game at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. The hazy winter coupled with dew in the evening will make it extremely difficult to bowl in the evening as we saw in the last game.