Brendon McCullum upbeat to play under Mortaza for Rangpur in BPL 5

The ongoing edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) promises a lot of exciting encounters as the league moves towards the business end. BPL in its own way has provided a major boost to the nation’s cricket scene. It has been crucial in cultivating and nurturing the future stars of Bangladesh cricket. Prior to the inception of BPL, the Bangladeshi cricketers were used to play in different T20 leagues under the tutelage of different captains.

But with the onset of the league, it has given a chance to the Bangladesh players to take over captaincy reigns and lead other veteran players from all over the world. International players from different countries of the world have been playing under cricketers like Shakib Al Hasan, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and many more.

As a testament to the above statement, two of the biggest names in world T20 cricket, Brendon McCullum, and Chris Gayle is set to play under Mortaza for the Rangpur Riders franchise and the former New Zealand cricketer looks extremely upbeat about the opportunity. Gayle and McCullum had earlier played together for Kolkata Knight Riders in the IPL will feature together again in Rangpur after a long time.

Speaking about Mashrafe, the former Kiwi wicketkeeper said, “We played together in Kolkata Knight Riders. I have a good relation with him. I felt very good seeing him after I arrived in the stadium. Despite being in the mid 30, he looks absolutely fit. He achieved many things in his career. Not only here, Mashrafe is respected all over the world. I am very excited to play under his captaincy.”

Riders boast of a star-studded lineup

The franchise already features four overseas players in Samuel Badree, Johnson Charles, Perera and Ravi Bopara. National players Arafat Sunny and Rubel Hasan were also retained by the side for the BPL 2017. Sri Lankan big hitter Kusal Perera also joined the team yesterday and will bring in a lot of experience, having played T20s all across the globe.