Rilee Rossouw, Farhad Reza combine to trounce Rajshahi Kings
Riders produced another commanding performance to trounce Kings by six wickets with eight balls to spare
The Report by Peter Della Penna
29-Jan-2019
Farhad Reza picked up four wickets for Rangpur Riders • Raton Gomes/BCB
How the game played out
Rangpur Riders picked up where they left off 24 hours earlier, producing another commanding performance to trounce Rajshahi Kings by six wickets with eight balls to spare. Considering the ease with which Riders overhauled a target of 187 set by Dhaka Dynamites on Monday, Kings' first innings total of 141 was never going to seriously challenge Riders. Kings batsman Laurie Evans admitted as much when he wisecracked that Kings were "about 60 short" when interviewed on TV at the innings break.
Sticking to their strategy of stacking their lineup with four big-hitting overseas batsman at the top of the order, Riders coasted to the target behind a half-century from Rilee Rossouw. The South African maintained his status as the tournament's leading scorer, becoming the first to cross the 500-run mark for BPL 2019 putting him nearly 200 runs clear of his closest challenger Mushfiqur Rahim.
By the end of the 13th over, the equation was brought under a run a ball during a 71-run stand between Rossouw and AB de Villiers. A late hiccup by Riders in which Rossouw and de Villiers fell in consecutive overs made the final margin appear closer than the match had been in reality.
Turning points
- Evans was on 35 when he drove Shahidul Islam to backward point where a sharp, diving catch was taken by Nahidul Islam. At 81 for 5, Kings had little firepower left to make a recovery
- Fazle Mahmud and Qais Ahmad fell on consecutive deliveries in the 20th over of Kings innings to Farhad Reza, ending a 40-run partnership and swinging momentum strongly back in favor of Riders heading into the chase
- Rossouw was dropped on 29 at mid-off by Kamrul Islam Rabbi on a difficult chance on the first ball of the 12th over off Mustafizur Rahman. Rossouw and de Villiers each belted a six in the following over to bring the required run-rate under six with seven overs left as Kings waltzed toward the target
Star of the day
Farhad Reza's heroics in the field against Dynamites both catching and bowling were overshadowed by a mammoth 186-run partnership between de Villiers and Alex Hales. But Reza showed once again why he's an unsung hero in the Riders squad by claiming another three wickets against Kings. His day started with the wicket of Johnson Charles skying a slog over midwicket in the third over, then finished by almost claiming a hat-trick in the final over to stifle any hopes of a late surge by Kings.
The big miss
Ryan ten Doeschate's absence from the starting XI due to a side strain robbed Kings of their biggest threat in the middle order to aid in a possible recovery. Three days earlier he struck his first four scoring shots for six on his way to 27 off 12 balls that proved vital in a seven-run win over Chittagong Vikings. The inability of Kings to produce a finishing kick without him against Riders highlighted his value.
Where the teams stand
Riders clinched a playoff spot with the win and moved up into a tie for first place again with Comilla Victorians on 14 points. Rajshahi Kings' playoff hopes hang by a thread on 10 points in a tie for fourth place with Dhaka Dynamites, but Dynamites have two matches in hand as well as a sizable net-run-rate advantage.
Peter Della Penna is ESPNcricinfo's USA correspondent @PeterDellaPenna