Isakhil’s century fades in comparison to Hridoy’s century

Tawhid Hridoy responded to a century with a century of his own. Not only did he deliver a three-figure reply, he also led Rangpur Riders to a commanding 8-wicket victory.

However, Hridoy could not stay on the field until the end of the match. He was dismissed when the team needed just 9 more runs to win.

Before returning to the dressing room, he played a brilliant knock of 109 runs. His innings came at a strike rate of 173.42, featuring 2 sixes and 15 fours. Riding on his performance, Rangpur chased down the big target of 174 runs with 2 balls to spare. In the final over, Rangpur captain Liton Das finished the job, scoring an unbeaten 39 runs.

Hridoy finally erased past disappointment with the second century of his career. On January 11, against Rajshahi Warriors, he had come very close to a hundred but fell short of the magical figure, remaining unbeaten on 97. This time, in the final group-stage match, the Bangladeshi batter reached the milestone.

As a result, Hridoy’s century overshadowed Hasan Isakhil’s hundred. In what was merely a formality for a team already eliminated from the tournament, Noakhali Express posted 173 runs, powered by a century from the Afghan batter.

Isakhil, who had narrowly missed out on a century in his BPL debut match, made no mistake this time despite getting two reprieves. He registered his first T20 century, playing a magnificent innings of 107 runs off 72 balls, smashing 11 sixes alongside 4 boundaries. In his first match, the son of Afghan legend Mohammad Nabi had been dismissed for 92. Along with Isakhil’s century, skipper Haider Ali’s 42-run knock helped Noakhali set a challenging target, but they ultimately ended the match in defeat.

Despite the 8-wicket win over Noakhali, Rangpur failed to secure a top-two finish. With 12 points, they will now play in the Eliminator, where they will face Sylhet Strikers, who finished fourth with 10 points. Meanwhile, Rajshahi (16 points) and Chattogram Royals (12 points) occupy the top two spots.