BPL 2019: Alex Hales set to feature in the tournament for the first time

England’s hard-hitting batsman Alex Hales is all set to ply his trade in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL). The sixth edition of the tournament will commence on January 5 next year. Hales will be making his debut in the season for the Rangpur Riders, who will go into the tournament as the defending champions.

Ishtiaq Sadek, the CEO of Rangpur Riders confirmed the same on Tuesday according to The Guardian. Hales will be sharing the dressing room with the likes of Chris Gayle, who was instrumental in helping the Riders win the trophy in the previous edition. It is highly likely that Gayle and Hales will be the opening duo for the side in 2019. Mashrafe Mortaza will be leading the side in the tournament.

Hales trying to make the most of the break

Starting from November 6 England will be playing Sri Lanka in a 3-match Test series. This series will go on till November 2. Post this series, the team will be taking nearly a two-month break after which they will fly to the Caribbean to play three Tests, five ODIs and three T20Is against Windies.

Hence, after playing the only T20I against Sri Lanka on October 27, Alex Hales will have no other international assignment till February 20, 2019. During this period, he will be featuring in the BPL. With the tournament ending on February 8, Alex Hales is most likely to be present for the entire duration of the season.

Earlier this year, the attacking opener played for the Sunrisers Hyderabad in the Indian Premier League (IPL). However, he didn’t have a successful stint with them. In six games, he could only muster 148 runs at an average close to 25. His struggle on the subcontinent pitches was quite evident back then. But Hales would be hoping to make the most of his previous experiences and excel in the BPL next year.

Rangpur Riders retained four players from the previous edition. These include Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Islam Apu and Chris Gayle.

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