Ugadi festival and that too on a Sunday is a perfect day for an India vs Bangladesh final clash!
Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka on Friday to join India in the finals of the Hero Nidahas Twenty20 Tri-Series at Colombo on March 18, 2018.
The day/night finals will be played at the R Premadasa Stadium from 7:00 PM India time.
Team India News
There might be one change in the Indian line-up for the final game, Jaydev Unadkat was spotted bowling at the nets on the eve of the match in full form, and he should replace Mohammad Siraj.
Having won three of their four matches in the tri-series, India goes into the final as favorites.
India, with six points from four matches, have already made their place for the final clash! Watch them against #Bangladesh tonight in the FINAL of the #HeroNidahasTrophy tri-series LIVE on DSport. The coverage starts at 6:00 PM. https://t.co/AX3rmS175C #NidahasOnDSport #INDvBAN pic.twitter.com/tYMLZg21ls
— DSport (@DSportINLive) 18 March 2018
Despite the absence of their key players including their skipper Virat Kohli, wicket-keeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the young Indian players, under the leadership of Rohit Sharma have played brilliantly throughout this series.
Twenty20 games are won by teams who hold their nerves until the last bowl is bowled. India will definitely not take the Bangladeshi's lightly as they have proved multiple times that they are not just simple pushovers.
The Indian team will play against England and Australia before heading home to play the grueling Indian Premier League 2018 in April-May.
Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka in the last league game
In a nail-biting encounter, Bangladesh defeated Sri Lanka in the sixth game of the tri-series by two wickets. Batting first the hosts scored a moderate 159 runs for the loss of seven wickets.
Bangladesh expected an easy chase, but the Sri Lankans bowlers had other ideas.
What a match! Bangladesh beat Sri Lanka by 2 wickets and reached the final of Nidahas Trophy 2018. pic.twitter.com/M6UipajKUI
— Bangladesh Cricket (@BCBtigers) 16 March 2018
Bangladesh quickly lost two wickets for just 33 runs. Luton Das was out for a duck while Shabbir Rehman was out for 13.
Tamim Iqbal and Mushfiqur Rahim took the score to 98 runs. After the exit of Tamim Iqbal, who scored a half-century (50 runs), the Bangladesh middle-order collapsed, and the score was reduced to 136 for the loss of seven wickets.
But Mahmudullah played a gem of an innings at the end and ensured that his team entered the finals to take on the mighty Indian team. He scored a quick 43 in just 18 deliveries to take the score past the required 159 runs. Mahmudullah hoisted an Isuru Udana ball over the square leg boundary when six runs were required off the last two balls. He struck five fours and three sixes.
TV telecast and Ind vs Ban online cricket streaming
Here's a complete list of Tv channels telecasting India vs Bangladesh finals in various countries.
Bangladesh vs India T20 final: Live cricket streaming on Channel 9 BD, DSport https://t.co/vUwyIr9pSn
— Parasshuram (@Parasshuram) March 18, 2018
- Indian- DSport, Doordarshan (DD1), Rishtey Cineplex
- UK - Sky Sports Cricket
- New Zealand/Aus - SKY Sports
- South Africa - SuperSport
- Canada - ATN Cricket Plus HD
- USA - Willow TV
- Malaysia - Astro Cricket HD
- Bangladesh - Channel 9 via Gazi TV (GTV)
- Sri Lanka - SLRC (Channel Eye)
- Pakistan - Ten Sports
The online stream can be watched on Channel 9 BD website.
Pitch and weather report
This entire tri-series is being played at one venue, the Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The track has wore out a bit after five games.
The team batting second has won all but one match in this tournament. A pitch favorable for batting is expected.
Like the previous match, again thundershowers are expected today at Colombo, but it is unlikely to affect the game much.
Bangladesh team News
Bangladesh is unlikely to make any changes to their side that played against Sri Lanka on Friday. Bangladesh has featured in finals of a tournament four times - three times in ODIs and once in T20Is - they have lost all four, off-course to stronger teams, but this time they would want to break that jinx and topple India. This is also the first time they play a final outside Dhaka.
BREAKING: The @BCBtigers board have released a statement following yesterday's incident in their game against Sri Lanka, for which Shakib Al Hasan and Nurul hasan were punished.
— ICC (@ICC) 17 March 2018
READ ➡️ https://t.co/rwkZPnojEl pic.twitter.com/3BBNNvi91t
Mahmudullah is just four runs short of completing 1000 runs in Twenty20 Internationals.
He will be the fourth Bangladesh batsman to reach the milestone after Tamim Iqbal, Shakib Al Hasan, and Mushfiqur Rahim.