Chittagong: Defending champions Comilla Victorians suffered their 5th defeat on the trot in the seven-team 4th Bangladesh Premier League conceding a nine-wicket loss to Rangpur Riders at Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium on Friday.

This is for the 3rd time that Riders defeated a team by the nine-wicket margin in the meet after Chittagong Vikings and Khulna Titans at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka. 

Riders conceded the only defeat against Dhaka Dynamites by 78 runs to wrap up their Dhaka phase and returned on the track again with a 12-run victory against Barisal Bulls in Chittagong.

With the day's result, Riders collected eight points from five matches having four wins and one loss, equaling the points and win-loss record with the topper Dhaka Dynamites. 

Chasing a target of 123, Rangpur Riders reached their destination scoring 126 for 1 in 17 overs stimulated by the 2nd wicket unbeaten stand of 97 runs in 13.2 overs between day's man of the match Mohammad Shahzad and Mohammad Mithun who played till the end, starting from 29/1 in 3.4 overs after Soumya Sarkar’s departure.

Opener Mohammad Shahzad and Mithun hammered unbeaten 51 and 45 runs respectively. Mohammad Shahzad faced 49 balls to fire two boundaries and three over boundaries while Mithun played 39 balls for one boundary and three sixes. 

Skipper Mashrafe Bin Mortaza took the lone wicket for 20 runs in three overs. He dismissed Soumya who was caught by Rashid Khan scoring 22 off 15 balls, including two boundaries and one six. 

Earlier, Victorians managed 122 for 5 in 20 overs, riding on the 3rd pair stand of 64 runs in 10.2 overs between Ahmed Shehzad and Marlon Samuels. Both Shehzad and Samuels hammered half century scoring equal 52 each for the side which were sent in to batting.

Starting from 21/2 in 6 overs, the 3rd pair recovered the early damage carrying the team total to 85 for 16.2 overs before Shehzad was caught by Shahid Afridi off Anwar Ali's bowling.

Ahmed Shehzad half century off 45 balls witnessed four boundaries and one six. Samuels fired three boundaries and two sixes off 46 balls, before being caught by Mohammad Shahzad off Rubel Hossain bowling at 122/4 in 19.5 overs. 

Opening the innings, Victorians suffered an early damage losing two wickets -- Imrul Kayes and Liton Kumar Das -- for 21 runs in 6 overs.
Sohag Gazi made the first breakthrough for Riders trapping Kayes (5) lbw at 8/1 in 2.1 overs while the 2nd wicket Liton (4) fell victim to run out.

Rubel Hossain captured two wickets for 27 runs in four overs while Sohag Gazi and Anwar Ali took one wicket each for 7 and 28 runs.