Barishal beat Cumilla to reach playoffs

Fortune Barishal beat Cumilla Victorians by six wickets in the 41st game of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) to reach the playoffs as the last team.

Being asked to bat, Cumilla managed 140 runs with loss of eight wickets. Jaker Ali played a cameo of 38 runs from 16 balls.

Barishal chased down the 141-run target keeping two balls in hand after skipper Tamim Iqbal played a responsible 66-run knock from 48 balls in a crucial moment.

As a result, Khulna Tigers were automatically eliminated from the tournament without playing their last match against Sylhet Strikers. That match will be played for just a formality.

Earlier, three teams - Rangpur Riders, Cumilla Victorians, and Chattogram Challengers qualified for the stage, waiting for the fourth team.  Fortune Barishal now will face Chattogram Challengers.

Playing XIs

Cumilla Victorians: Litton Das (c & wk), Sunil Narine, Towhid Hridoy, Enamul Haque, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Moeen Ali, Andre Russell, Jaker Ali, Musfik Hasan, Tanvir Islam, Matthew Forde.

Fortune Barishal: Tamim Iqbal (c), Ahmed Shehzad, Kyle Mayers, Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), Soumya Sarkar, Mahmudullah, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Mohammad Saifuddin, Obed McCoy, Taijul Islam, Akif Javed.