BPL 2022: Chattogram Challengers to Play Fortune Barishal in Season Opener

The BPL 2022 will begin on Friday at the SBNCS, Mirpur, with a match between Chattogram Challengers and Fortune Barishal.

The contest will begin at 1.30 pm (Bangladesh Standard Time).

Chattogram Challengers is a youthful team, while Fortune Barisal have one of the best teams in the Bangladesh Premier League this season.

Therefore, Fortune Barishal will be a slight favourite to win the match.

The world's best all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will captain the Fortune Barishal team in this season's BPL, while bowling all-rounder Mehidy Hasan Miraz will lead the Chattogram Challengers side.

Let's look at the predicted playing XI, as well as the strengths and flaws of both teams. 

Chattogram Challengers

The Chattogram team has some of Bangladesh's finest upcoming young talents. There are no senior Bangladesh national team players in this squad. As a result, the team management has entrusted the captaincy to Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who led the Rajshahi franchise in 2019. 

Strength

The youthful squad is Chattogram's biggest asset. Young players like Akbar Ali, Naeem Islam, Afif Hossain, Shamim Hossain will provide the Challengers an extra boost. Captain Mehidy Miraz and the team management must ensure that all of the players adhere to their game plan and carry it out properly on the field.

Weakness

One of Chattogram's biggest flaws is that they don't have any experienced players from the local category. As a result, the team heavily relies on their rookies. Foreign recruits will also have to contribute well in order to stay strong in quest of Playoff berths.  

Probable Playing XI

Top Order: Chadwick Walton, Zakir Hasan, Will Jacks, Middle Order: Afif Hossain, Sabbir Rahman, Shamim Hossain, Benny Howell, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Lower Order: Mukidul Islam, Shoriful Islam, Nasum Ahmed.

Fortune Barishal

Barishal are one of the early favorites in this year's BPL, with a well-balanced squad. The expertise of Shakib Al Hasan, Chris Gayle, and Dwayne Bravo would be beneficial to Barishal during the tournament. On the other hand, Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mehedi Rana, Najmul Shanto are exciting players to watch, who can help Barishal win matches.   

Strength

The key strength of Barishal is that they have adequate players in all departments. If the Shakib-led team can get into a groove right away, the rest of the BPL teams will have their work cut out for them.

Weakness

Barishal don't appear to have any big flaws on paper, but selecting an ideal playing XI might be a huge challenge for the team management. They may discover their suitable combination as the season progresses.  

Probable Playing XI

Top Order: Chris Gayle, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Shakib Al Hasan Middle-Orders: Towhid Hridoy, Irfan Sukkur, Dwayne Bravo, Nurul Hasan, Ziaur Rahman Lower-Order: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Taijul Islam

Verdict   

Given the strength of both squads, Barishal will start as favorites, but no one can dispute that Chattogram have a few individual match winners. If team Chattogram can put pressure on the Barishal side from the start of the game, they will have a chance in this match. Mirpur's surface is likely to favor the spinners, therefore the toss may be crucial in this match as well. Overall, fans are anticipating a thrilling contest between Chattogram Challengers and Fortune Barishal in the BPL 2022 opener.