The 10th edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2024 will witness two crucial matches today, as Comilla Victorians take on Sylhet Strikers and Fortune Barishal face Rangpur Riders at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium in Chittagong.

While Sylhet are the only team to be out of the play-offs contention, the other three teams will aim to secure their positions in the points table. Rangpur Riders are currently at the top with 16 points, having won eight of their ten matches so far. The team boasts of world-class players such as all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan, West Indian opener Brandon King, Afghanistan all-rounder Muhammad Nabi and former Pakistan captain Babar Azam. They have also been joined by Nicholas Pooran, who will strengthen their batting line-up. He is expected to play against Barishal at 6:30 pm on Monday, February 19.

Comilla Victorians, on the other hand, have almost confirmed their qualification for the play-offs. They are in second place with 14 points, having won seven of their nine matches so far. They have a balanced team, with Litton Das as captain, Mustafizur Rahman as their leading bowler, and overseas stars such as Rashid Khan, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell and Sunil Narine. They have to win today to stay in the top two and get two chances to reach the final.

Sylhet Strikers, who have been eliminated from the qualifying round, will play for pride and spoil Comilla’s plans. They have only won two of their nine matches so far, but they have shown some signs of improvement after changing their captain. Mashrafe Mortaza, the veteran all-rounder, has taken over the leadership from Mohammad Mithun, and has inspired his team to win their last match against Khulna Tigers.

The top two teams in the points table will get two opportunities to qualify for the final, while the third and fourth teams will have to play an eliminator. Therefore, every team in the BPL will fight from today to grab the top spot in the qualifying round.