Fortune Barishal will face Comilla Victorians in the first qualifying match on Monday (February 14), intensifying the battle for a berth in the Bangladesh Premier League 2022 championship match. The winner of this match will go to the crucial final on Friday (February 18). Both teams are heavy favourites to win the BPL this season, ensuring that this match will be exciting to watch. Let's take a look at the match preview for Fortune Barishal vs Comilla Victorians.

1st Qualifier of BPL 2022 Preview: Fortune Barishal vs Comilla Victorians

Bangladesh's star all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will lead the Fortune Barishal, while the Comilla Victorians will likely be captained by experienced South African batter Faf du Plessis. The match will begin on Monday at 5.30 p.m. (Bangladesh Standard Time) at Sher-e-Bangla Stadium, Mirpur. Let's look at the recent team news of both teams. 

Fortune Barishal

All of the players are expected to be fit for this crucial match because there are no injuries in the Fortune Barishal squad. The Barishal team is expected to use the same playing XI as in their previous encounter against Dhaka.

Read BPL 2022 Playoffs: Qualified Teams, Match Schedules

Shakib Al Hasan is the most important player for Fortune Barishal. He has been outstanding with the bat and the ball since the beginning of the season. Shakib has scored 276 runs in 9 innings with a strike rate of 146.80. He has also taken 15 wickets at an economy rate of 4.95. Shakib, DJ Bravo, and Chris Gayle all will be key players for Fortune Barishal in this contest.

Probable Playing XI

Top Order: Munim Shahriar, Chris Gayle, Najmul Hossain Shanto Middle Orders: Shakib Al Hasan (c), Towhid Hridoy, Dwayne Bravo, Ziaur Rahman, Nurul Hasan (WK), Lower Order: Mujeeb Ur Rahman, Mehedi Hasan Rana, Shafiqul Islam

Comilla Victorians

Since no injuries have been confirmed in the Comilla Victorians squad, all of the players are expected to be fit for this match. The management of the Comilla team may make several changes to the playing XI that played against the Khulna Tigers.

Read IND vs WI 2022: India Whitewash West Indies in ODI Series

Comilla Victorians' most significant player is medium-pacer, Mustafizur Rahman. Mustafizur has been in excellent form since the beginning of this season. The left-handed bowler has the most wickets (17) with an economy rate of 6.72.

Apart from him, spinners Tanvir Islam and Nahidul Islam have been in good form this season. In batting, Faf du Plessis has found his batting groove at the perfect time. He scored 101 runs against the Khulna Tigers in the final match of the BPL 2022 league phase. These players will be vital for Comilla Victorians in the BPL 2022 qualifier 1 encounter against Fortune Barishal.

Probable Playing XI

Top Order: Mahmudul Hasan Joy, Parvez Hossain Emon, Mominul Haque Middle-Orders: Faf du Plessis (c), Moeen Ali, Mahidul Islam Ankon, Sunil Narine, Nahidul Islam Lower-Order: Abu Hider, Tanvir Islam, Shohidul Islam

Read BPL 2022: Shakib Sets New Record as Fortune Barishal Secure Top Two

Verdict

Fortune Barishal are in excellent form in the ongoing BPL season 8. They have gone undefeated in six games so far this season and have only lost two games. Shakib Al Hasan is in excellent form and is guiding the Barishal team from the front. If Shakib Al Hasan keeps up his current form in this BPL 2022 qualifier 1 encounter, Comilla will have to be at their best to beat Barishal. The Comilla Victorians have some talented players as well. Therefore, the Barishal team will also find it difficult to defeat Comilla. This is shaping up to be an exciting playoff encounter to watch.