Comilla set up qualifier vs Sylhet

Comilla Victorians defeated Rangpur Riders by a big margin of 70 runs to ensure a playoff qualification spot courtesy of finishing in second place after the Bangladesh Premier League's (BPL) league phase. Both Comilla and Rangpur were vying for a playoff qualification spot after Sylhet Sixers had already qualified by finishing top of the table.

Fortune Barishal will now play against Rangpur Riders in the Eliminator on Sunday, in what will be a knockout game. Sylhet will take on Comilla in the first qualifier game in the evening match on the same day, with the losing side playing the winner of the Eliminator on February 14.

Liton Das breezed to 47 off 33 deliveries before Jaker Ali's 23-ball 34 and Khushdil Shah's 20-ball 40 saw Comilla post 177 for five yesterday.

Spinner Tanvir Islam, who has impressed this BPL, then dented Rangpur's chase, picking up two early wickets before Mustafizur Rahman scalped three wickets in three overs as Rangpur slumped to 107 all out.

The likes of Mohammad Rizwan and Khushdil Shah will depart from the BPL, having played their last game. Rangpur too will have to think of replacements for the likes of Rahmanullah Gurbaz, who has been signed by a Pakistan Super League franchise.

With chops and changes coming in frequently in all the teams, Rangpur coach Sohel Islam was asked whether the challenge had become more difficult than usual.

He admitted to the difficulties faced in planning for matches when it was unclear which players would feature.

"In this BPL, the most challenging aspect for the coaches is due to the shuffling of foreign players and their availability. Often we can't find players for a particular position. If two foreign players are changed, it turns out that the whole team combination is changing so this is pretty challenging," Sohel said.

"It's also difficult to analyse teams due to the chopping and changing. We have to make plans when we get to the field since we often can't stick to plans due to changes. But we have to sort out such things and quickly," he added.