Hridoy wins the battle of centuries

In a spectacular battle of centuries, Towhid Hridoy produced a clinical masterclass that overtrumped Hassan Eisakhil’s explosive ton, guiding the Rangpur Riders to a thrilling eight-wicket victory over Noakhali Express at the Sher-e-Bangla National Stadium on Sunday. The win, coming in the penultimate group stage clash of the ongoing Bashundhara Cement Bangladesh Premier League (BPL), successfully vaulted Rangpur to third place in the standings with 12 points heading into the playoffs.

The match initially looked set to be defined by Noakhali’s Hassan Eisakhil.

After a disciplined start from the Rangpur bowlers—led by Al Islam and Khushdil Shah—Eisakhil orchestrated a late-innings rampage that left the stadium stunned. Having reached his fifty in a steady 50 balls, he exploded to finish on an unbeaten 107 off 72 balls. The Express plundered a staggering 75 runs in the final five overs, punctuated by a final over from Akif Javed that disappeared for 28 runs.

With 11 sixes to his name, Eisakhil’s blitz set a daunting target of 174.

However, Hridoy responded with a "proper" T20 innings that snatched the headlines back in Rangpur’s favour.

While Eisakhil’s knock was a late surge, Hridoy dominated the chase from the outset with surgical precision. Showing superior control and placement, he hammered 109 off 63 deliveries, peppering the boundary 15 times.

His ability to anchor the chase while maintaining a strike rate of over 173 effectively neutralised the momentum Eisakhil had built.

Hridoy was well-supported by captain Litton Das (39*), who played a composed secondary role as the duo shared a 87-run partnership for the second wicket.

It was Hridoy’s calculated aggression against the pace of Hasan Mahmud and Musfik Hasan that broke the back of the target.

Although Hridoy fell in the 19th over with just nine runs required, his maiden century had already sealed the result. Rangpur eventually reached 174/2 with two balls to spare.