An impressive century from Towhid Hridoy outshone a brilliant hundred by Hassan Eisakhil as Rangpur Riders sealed a comprehensive eight-wicket victory in their final Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) group-stage match at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium today.
The victory kept Rangpur firmly in contention for a top-two finish on the points table. A defeat for Chattogram Royals against Dhaka Capitals later tonight would pave Rangpur's way into the top two.
Batting first, Noakhali leaned heavily on a superb knock from Hassan Eisakhil, the son of Afghanistan all-rounder Mohammad Nabi. Eisakhil hammered an unbeaten 107 off 72 balls, laced with four fours and 11 sixes, to propel his side to a respectable 173-2.
But Hridoy helped Rangpur gun down the target in 19.4 overs, smashing a 109 off 63, which included 15 fours and two sixes.
Noakhali's innings revolved entirely around Eisakhil after Rangpur elected to field. Fellow opener Rahmat Ali (9) and No.3 batter Jaker Anik (3) fell cheaply, leaving Eisakhil to anchor the innings almost single-handedly.
Skipper Haider Ali, however, offered valuable support with an unbeaten 42 off 32 balls, hitting three fours and a six. The pair added 137-run for an unbeaten third wicket to lift Noakhali to a competitive total.
But in-form Hridoy ensured the chase was anything but difficult. He and Dawid Malan put on 78 runs for the opening stand, in which the former England opener contributed just 15 runs.
Hridoy then took complete control of the chase, adding 87 runs with captain Liton Das to bring Rangpur to the brink of victory.
Hasan Mahmud eventually dismissed Hridoy to bring an end to his scintillating knock, but the damage had already been done.
Liton Das stayed unbeaten on 39 to guide Rangpur for an emphatic victory in 19.4 overs.
The defeat marked a disappointing end to Noakhali's maiden BPL campaign, as they finished with just two wins from 10 matches and remained at the bottom of the points table.
However, they could still move up one place if Dhaka Capitals suffer a heavy defeat to Chattogram later in the day.
