Locals' effort, guided by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza -- the ultimate captain in Bangladesh cricket -- saw Sylhet Strikers make the BPL final in expense of a strong Rangpur Riders outfit in the second qualifier on Sunday. Sylhet franchise had never played in a BPL final before and had performed poorly in recent editions. The turnaround was spectacular just as it was during Tuesday's game.

"If you look at our journey, we have been outstanding. We have bounced back really well. We needed to break the momentum. (Tanjim Hasan) Sakib's two overs brought us back into the game," Mashrafe said at post-match presentations.

Sakib was the hero with the ball while Zakir Hasan, who made a meal of a simple catch of Rony Talukdar in the 10th over that almost saw the game slip away from Sylhet's grasp, came up with vital contributions in the end as Sylhet defended 182, winning by 19 runs in the end.

Rangpur opener Rony had taken over from Fortune Barishal's Shakib Al Hasan to become the third-highest run-getter in this BPL and showed that his form was not a fluke in this crucial game. He drove with ease and his pick-up shots made Sylhet sweat as he appeared to have taken the game under his control. He had the rub of the green as well when Zakir missed a dolly of a catch.

Rony and skipper Nurul Hasan carried the game into the 15th over, needing 46 runs off the last five with seven wickets in hand. Mashrafe conceded just four in the 16th over and then Sakib bowled a massive 18th over, removing Nurul for a 24-ball 33. Zakir then effected the run-out of Rony in the same over before Luke Wood and Rubel Hossain defended the score as Sylhet won from a precarious position, conceding just 28 runs in the last five overs.

It was a collective effort with the bat following the solid platform from Najmul Hossain Shanto and Towhid Hridoy that saw Sylhet put on a challenging score. Both Hridoy and Shanto were getting into their groove but the momentum was broken by an unfortunate leg-before decision which left Shanto flummoxed, given out despite coming down the wicket. After Shanto's 25-ball 40, Hridoy top-edged a Hasan Mahmud delivery after a run-a-ball 25.

Mashrafe brought himself at number three to up the ante and played an important knock under the circumstances to give his side a chance. He smashed a six off the very first delivery and saw Zakir and Ryan Burl depart soon after each other before he too was dismissed for a 16-ball 28. Hasan shone at the death and picked up the experienced Mushfiqur Rahim to finish with two for 34 and top the wicket takers' chart this BPL. However, Burl's five-ball 16 had an impact and then Thisara Perera and George Linde closed the innings at 182 for 7.