Rangpur Riders form balanced team for BPL

Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) 2017 players’ draft took place amid a festive mood at the Radisson Blu Water Garden on Saturday as Rangpur Riders assembled an overall balanced team which can prove to be the dark horse of the money-spinning tournament.
Bangladesh’s largest business conglomerate Bashundhara Group is the patron of Rangpur Riders as the group’s Vice-Chairman Safwan Sobhan Tasvir is the Managing Director of the franchise. He was very optimistic about Rangpur Riders’ prospect in the upcoming tournament
“We have been able to form a balanced team with all types of cricketers. I am pleased with the way things proceeded today (Saturday). One has to play well in the field to be crowned champion. We will show our game in the field,” said Safwan Sobhan.
He said Rangpur have fulfilled 95% of their predetermined strategy in the draft regarding player selection.

Rangpur Riders will be led by Bangladesh ODI skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and he will be well supported by Caribbean master blaster Chris Gayle, former Bangladesh opener Shahriar Nafees, Johnson Charles, Kusal Perera and Samiullah Shinwari in the batting department.
His comrades in the bowling department will be Samuel Badree, Rubel Hossain and Abdur Razzak.
Meanwhile Rajshahi Kings roped in Mustafizur Rahman after winning the lottery to bid for the only A+ category player of the tournament at early hours of the draft.
The cutter master Mustafizur will receive $60,000 as the only player in Grade A+ in the local list.
Abu Hider, another left-arm pace bowler, was recruited by defending champions Dhaka Dynamites as the second overall pick in the draft before Khulna Titans and Rangpur Riders went for bagging left-hand batsmen Nazmul Hossain Shanto and Shahriar Nafees respectively.
Dhaka Dynamites continued their ambitious run as they brought Jahurul Islam and Saqlain Sajib in their ranks in an already over-crowded star studded shed.

Sylhet Sixers had a lot of catching up to do and they tried to cover some ground by roping in local boy Abul Hasan, who got a wild card to national squad courtesy of his performance for the Sylhet franchise in earlier edition of the meet.

SOURCE : Daily Sun