10 Bangladeshi Players to watch out for in BPL 2016

The 4th edition of Bangladesh’s T20 carnival, the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) is back. BPL 2016 kicks off on 4th November 2016 at Sher-e-Bangla stadium in Dhaka with a match between Rangpur Riders and Comilla Victorians. This time around there are seven teams packed with international stars that are ready to entertain us for next one month. The Comilla Victorians are the defending champions. Mashrafe Mortaza’s men clinched the title in 2015 beating Barisal Bulls. This time around BPL has seven teams viz. Comilla Victorians, Barisal Bulls, Rangpur Riders, Dhaka Dynamites, Rajshahi Kings, Chittagong Vikings and Khulna Titans. There will be everything to play for. As BPL is seen as a great platform for Bangladeshi youngsters to make their mark in international cricket, here’s a look at top 10 players to watch out for in this edition 1. Tamim Iqbal: Tamim Iqbal. (Photo Source: BCB) Arguably the most reliable batsman in the history of Bangladesh cricket. Tamim Iqbal is the only Bangladeshi batsman to score hundred in all formats of the game. In a way, he has been Bangladesh’s Virender Sehwag. He is known for giving the team great starts scoring at healthy strike rates. Being picked as an icon player, Chittagong Vikings will expect nothing different from him. He is an impact player and having Chris Gayle as his opening partner will allow Tamim to play his natural game. Many would expect him to the top of the run charts. 2. Shakib Al Hasan: Bangladesh cricketer Shakib Al Hasan. (Photo credit -/AFP/Getty Images) Probably the best thing to happen in the history of Bangladesh cricket, the country’s best all-rounder will play for Dhaka Dynamites. Being the only experienced spinner in the side, Shakib will have to shoulder all responsibility of handling the spin department. Also the team management will expect their icon player Shakib to mentor youngsters during his stint with Dhaka. In 54 T20Is he is the second leading run scorer after Tamim Iqbal and their leading wicket taker with 65 wickets. 3. Mushfiqur Rahim: Bangladesh cricket player Mushfiqur Rahim. (Photo credit STR/AFP/Getty Images) Undoubtedly the best wicketkeeper in the history of Bangladesh cricket so far, the 5′ 3″ pocket size dynamo has been picked by Barisal Bulls as their icon player. Mushfiqur’s biggest strength is constructing innings and then unleash the big hits. He is very smart behind the stumps, a great asset for Barisal to have. His international T20 number, however, paint a different picture altogether. The right-hander averages just 17 with the bat and has gone past 50 only once. The strike of 112 also doesn’t look threatening. Still, Mushfiqur Rahim has all it takes to lead Barisal to the title. 4. Mashrafe Mortaza: (Photo Source: The Daily Star Twitter Handle) Mashrafe Mortaza has revolutionized Bangladesh cricket. He was also Comilla Victorian’s skipper when they won the title last year. Despite knee surgeries, he has always given his 100%. Mashrafe is a utility player, he can swing the new ball and is a handy lower order batsman as well. He has played 49 T20s for Bangladesh picking 38 scalps, that suggests he has underperformed at the international level. But as far as leadership is concerned he is very inspirational. 5. Sabbir Rahman: Bangladesh cricketer Sabbir Rahman acknowledges the crowd after half century (50 runs) during the match between Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on February 28, 2016. AFP PHOTO/ Munir uz ZAMAN / AFP / MUNIR UZ ZAMAN (Photo credit should read MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) Sabbir Rahman announced himself on the international arena with some stunning performances in the Asia Cup. He is a clean striker of the ball, tailor-made for the shortest version of the game. He has been picked by the Rajshahi Kings as an icon, a team that doesn’t have a lot of local talent in the batting department. In 26 T20s for Bangladesh, he averages 30 with the bat at a strike rate of 120, numbers that are decent if not mind boggling. But have all the abilities of a T20 batsman, Sabbir is certainly the one to look out for in the future. 6. Mahmudullah Riyad: Bangladesh cricketer Mohammad Mahmudullah. (Photo by MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) A right-hander who can chip in with some useful offies, Mahamadullah has been stalwart for Bangladesh cricket in their years of rise. He has played some gritty knocks under pressure.He is the only Bangladesh cricketer to score 2 consecutive World Cup hundreds. Mahamadulla is the icon of the Khulna Titans. In 53 T20Is for Bangladesh, he averages 19 with the bat with 2 fifties. Mahmudullah has been sent lower down the order many times hence on quite a few occasions hasn’t faced enough balls. 7. Mehedi Hasan Miraz: Mehedi Hasan Miraz of Bangladesh. (Photo by Gareth Copley/Getty Images) Bangladesh’s Under-19 captain Mehedi Hasan Miraz who led them to the semi-final of U19 World Cup earlier in the year is one of the brightest prospects. He singlehandedly won a Test match for Bangladesh against England at Dhaka earlier this week and bagged 19 wickets in that Test series. He will be playing for the Rajshahi Kings this time around. He hasn’t played white ball cricket for Bangladesh and this will be his first experience in BPL as well. The tournament will be his opportunity to stake a claim for the limited overs teams. 8. Taskin Ahmed: Bangladesh cricketer Taskin Ahmed reacts after the dismissal of Pakistan batsman Umar Akmal during the Asia Cup T20 cricket tournament match between Bangladesh and Pakistan at The Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in Dhaka on March 2, 2016. AFP PHOTO/ MUNIR UZ ZAMAN / AFP / MUNIR UZ ZAMAN (Photo credit should read MUNIR UZ ZAMAN/AFP/Getty Images) Belonging to a rare species of fast bowlers in Bangladesh, Taskin Ahmed has undergone ups and downs in his career so far. After being banned for illegal bowling action, he made a strong comeback against England in October. Taskin will be looking to make a solid impact in the BPL for Chittagong Vikings as the spearhead of the attack. In T20 International cricket he has been very miserly so far with an economy rate of just a shade above 6 even though he has only 9 wickets in 13 games against his name. 9. Nasir Hossain: Nasir Hossain of Bangladesh. (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images) An all-rounder that was considered a hot property in Bangladesh cricket in 2013 Nasir Hossain has been in and out of the side due to inconsistent performances. He has played for Khulna Royals Bengal and Rangpur Riders in the previous editions of the BPL. His international figures don’t do justice to his talent. In 31 games he averages 19.5 with the bat. Nasir will be hoping to put up some good all-round performances for Dhaka Dynamites that will help him secure his place in the Bangladesh national team. 10. Imrul Kayes: Bangladesh cricketer Imrul Kayes celebrates a century. (Photo by STR/AFP/Getty Images) After a string of good performances for Bangladesh of late, opener Imrul Kayes has been in good form and will look to continue his good run for Comilla Victorians. The left-hander is not a big hitter but can play the role of sheet anchor. He is not a branded T20 player and international T20 stats do not say anything different. His averages is same as the number of matches he has played (8). But this BPL will give him a chance to express himself with the bat and improve his game as a batsman in the shortest version of the game. Also read: 10 overseas players to watch out for in Bangladesh Premier League 2016

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10 Bangladeshi Players to watch out for in BPL 2016

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