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Rangpur will look to defend their title when they take on Khulna in the final of the second edition of the NCL T20 today at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium. 

The night match is scheduled to begin at 5:00pm. T Sports will telecast it live, while the fans can also watch it online on Tapmad. 

Khulna beat the table-topper Chattogram in the first qualifier to book their spot in the final. 

Khulna beat Chattogram by four wickets in a rain-curtailed thriller match as Nahidul Islam and Avishek Das rescued them. 

Mohammad Mithun, the captain of Khulna, said that they would respect Rangpur but reminded everyone that they also played excellent cricket throughout the tournament. 

‘To be honest, Rangpur have played excellent cricket in the last few days. They are the defending champion. Of course they are a very good team; we will respect them for that,’ Mithun said in a press conference at the Sylhet International Stadium on Saturday. 

‘At the same time, we have also played very good cricket. Our team is very experienced and balanced. Of course we are hopeful,’ he added. 

Mithun also said that his players were committed to bringing the trophy home. 

‘It’s been a long time since a trophy has gone to Khulna. So we were committed that we’d bring that [to Khulna]. Of course it’s a new game, but we will try to give our best,’ he said. 

Rangpur, who were fourth in the points table after the group stage, came to the final after beating Dhaka and Chattogram in the eliminator and second qualifier, respectively. 

They beat Dhaka by just one wicket with one ball remaining, while they took over Chattogram on the last ball of the match. 

Akbar Ali, who led them to their first title last year, said that they’d gained momentum at the right moment. 

‘When you begin a tournament, the ultimate target always will be to fight for the championship,’ Akbar said at the same press conference. 

‘At the same time, it’s tough. So it’s better to take one step at a time. Our first target was to finish the group stage in the top two. That wasn’t the case,’ he added. 

‘But we gained the momentum at the right time, which is working for us. We will try the same thing. We will plan as if it were a normal match and will work to execute those,’ he concluded.