BPL 2019, Comilla Victorians vs Sylhet Sixers: Preview, team news, and probable XI
Comilla Victorians are set to go head-to-head with Sylhet Sixers in the third fixture of Bangladesh Premier League 2019 at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on Sunday, January 5.
Both teams have faced each other on two occasions in the Bangladesh Premier League, and honors are leveled on one each.
In their previous clash, during BPL 05, Comilla Victorians registered a 25 run win at Dhaka. After opting to bat first, the Victorians posted 170/4 in 20 overs and then restricted Sylhet at 145/7 to secure a playoff berth.
Comilla Victorians
Comilla Victorians were table toppers during last season and will aim to continue it from where they left in BPL 2018.
Batting
Tamim Iqbal is an explosive opener in T20 cricket and has scored 4758 runs in the shortest format. Former Australian skipper Steve Smith was in good form during his short stint in CPL 2018 and these two are expected to make things tough for Sylhet bowlers
Evin Lewis is another big gun in their lineup, who is considered one of the most devastating batsmen in T20 cricket at the moment. Apart from these three, Imrul Kayes and Shahid Afridi are the other batsmen in the side with the ability to score big.
Bowling
Mohammad Saifuddin was Comilla's best bowlers last year with sixteen wickets and the team will need him to come out with a similar performance this year as well. Apart from him, Abu Haider and Liam Dawson could be viable options for Victorians during the powerplay overs.
Expected Playing XI
Tamim Iqbal (C), Evin Lewis, Imrul Kayes, Steve Smith, Amanul Haque, Shahid Afridi, Liam Dawson, Mohammad Saifuddin, Mosharraf Hossain, Mohammad Shahid, and Abu Haider.
Sylhet Sixers
Sylhet Sixers had a disastrous season last time around as they managed just four wins out of 12 group fixtures. They will be hoping for a revival under new skipper David Warner.
Batting
Nicolas Pooran and Andre Fletcher were in outstanding form during the T10 League and ended the tournament as the leading runs scorers with 324 and 304 runs respectively. While skipper David Warner himself is one of most successful campaigners of T20 cricket, Sylhet Sixers has a good batting lineup. Liton Das is another batsman who cannot be ignored.
Bowling
Sandeep Lamichhane is expected to the key bowler for Sylhet as the Nepal sensation was in incredible form in the Big Bash League and picked up eight wickets for Melbourne Stars in just four games. While Imran Tahir is one of the world's finest spinners, especially in the middle overs, and these two will look to tighten the screws in the middle. Meanwhile, they also have a good brigade in Taskin Ahmed and Amin Hossain.
Expected Playing XI
David Warner (C), Liton Das, Andre Fletcher, Nasir Hossain, Nicolas Pooran, Sabbir Rahman, Afif Hossain, Sandeep Lamichhane, Imran Tahir, Al-Amin Hossain, and Taskin Ahmed.