In a bid to confirm the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) final, Chittagong Kings will take on Khulna Tigers in the Qualifer-2 game today (Wednesday) at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in the city, reports BSS.
This will be the second chance for both of the teams to keep their hopes alive for the coveted trophy.
Khulna, who confirmed the playoffs at the last moment, met Rangpur Riders in the Eliminator game but showing an unwavering resolve, they sealed a nine-wicket victory to keep them in the race.
Chittagong Kings finished at the top two and got the opportunity to seal the final at the first attempt. But they crumbled against a formidable Fortune Barishal to taste a nine-wicket defeat.
While Barishal confirmed the final straightway, Chittagong now would have to beat Khulna for the ultimate destination. However, Chittagong captain Mohammad Mithun said they have no plan to bring in any new overseas players before this match.
"There is no such plan (to bring overseas recruits) yet. It is not just about big names. You have to give them enough time to cope with the condition. It's not that they will come and deliver straightway," Mithun said.
"From a cricketing point of view, (such a situation) is not ideal. There is a problem of jet lag due to the journey."
Pakistan's Usman Khan, and Mohammad Wasim Jr. have played for Chittagong Kings among the foreigners in the current season. Currently, the team has overseas recruits like Khawaja Nafay, Graham Clark, Haider Ali and Binura Fernando.
Meanwhile, in a bid to retain their BPL title, defending champions Barishal bolstered their strength further by adding New Zealand allrounder James Neesham to their squad on Tuesday.
Barishal management confirmed Neesham's arrival through their official whatsapp group.
Tamim Iqbal-led Barishal had already sealed BPL final for the second time in a row after crushing Chittagong Kings by nine wickets in the Qualifier-1 game on Monday.
Alongside their local players, their overseas recruits also have been in superb form that raised a question to how they fit Neesham into the squad, that too for just the final game.
Barishal played Dawid Malan, Kyle Mayers, Mohammad Nabi and Mohammad Ali as their four overseas players in the Qualifier-1 game.
Mayers has been an integral part of the team from last season. Even though he left the side midway through the tournament this season to play ILT20 league in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), he returned to play the Qualifier-1 gamestraightway for Barishal.
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