James Franklin to play for Rajshahi Kings again

Former New Zealand all-rounder James Franklin will turn out for Rajshahi Kings in the fifth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League. Interestingly, Franklin played for the same franchise last year but was later released. After playing splendidly in the tournament last year, Rajshahi Kings fell short to Dhaka Dynamites in the finals by 56 runs.

Franklin a freelancer

Franklin had a 12-year career with New Zealand before calling it quits. He regularly features in the various franchise-based T20 leagues. He has played in the Indian Premier League, Pakistan Super League and Caribbean Premier League. The left-hander played in 31 Tests, 110 ODIs and 38 T20s. He brought a lot to the table with his utility with both bat and ball.

Rajshahi Kings confirmed the signing when they posted the news on their Facebook account on Saturday. Rajshahi Kings captioned it as: “King James Franklin signs for the Rajshahi Kings for another season!”

Success in the last season, barring the finals

The 36-year old took the field 6 times for the franchise last year, including the finals where he was dismissed for 5 off 9 batting at No. 5. Otherwise, he had a great season, topping the batting averages of the team. In 6 innings, the left-hander scored 162 runs at 54 with a highest score of 63*. In the latter half of his career, Franklin has concentrated more on his batting rather than the other way around. He was used for just 4 overs during the tournament in which he gave away 36 runs and picking just a solitary wicket.

Franklin an experienced T20 campaigner

Franklin is vastly experience in T20 cricket. He has so far played 203 games in which he has scored 3965 runs at 28.94 and a strike rate of 125.59. He has 15 fifties to his name with a highest score of 90. With his left-arm medium pace, Franklin has 97 wickets at 30.58 at an economy rate of 8.29.