BPL 2019: Dhaka Dynamites out for revenge against Rangpur Riders

Dhaka Dynamites meet Rangpur Riders on Friday with a view to continuing their unbeaten start to the Bangladesh Premier League season.

The meeting between the two teams, who are level on points, is an early top of the table clash. The match is a repeat of the 2018 BPL final where Rangpur won by 57 runs. The Dynamites have won three from the last five games with Rangpur but will want to avenge last season’s defeat.

The Dynamites have won both of this season’s games convincingly whilst Rangpur have won two of their three games. Not only do the Dynamites have one game in hand but they also have a vastly superior net run rate.

In both of their matches, the Dynamites have batted first and posted an impressive total before bowling their opponents out cheaply. In the first game, Rajshahi Kings were bowled out for 106 when chasing 190 runs. The Dynamites were even more comprehensive in victory in their second game with a 105-run win. Khulna could manage just 87 runs in their innings.

The superb batting performances have been anchored by Hazratullah Zazai’s rich vein of form. The Afghan opener has posted two half-centuries. Zazai has achieved this with a phenomenal strike rate of 175.32 which has been achieved with 12 sixes and seven fours so far. Cameo innings from Andre Russell, Sunil Narine, Rony Talukdar and Keiron Pollard have boosted the Dynamites’ batting prowess.

Just as impressive as the batting, the Dhaka bowlers have bowled both opponents out in their two games. Wickets have been shared among the bowlers, Shakib al Hasan has four, Rubel Hossein and Mohor Sheikh both have three whilst Narine and Shuvagata Hom have two each. The bowlers have taken wickets but also maintained good economy rates with four bowlers conceding less than six runs per over.

Rangpur’s defence of their title started slowly but their last two games have highlighted their potential. In their last game, Rangpur bowled out Comilla Victorians for 63 before easily chasing down the total in 12 overs. Mashrafe Mortaza’s 4-11 and Nazmul Islam’s 3-20 decimated the Victorians who are captained by ex-Australian captain Steve Smith.

The Riders’ roster has star imports such as Chris Gayle, Rilee Rossouw, Alex Hales, Ravi Bopara and Benny Howell whilst AB de Villiers, the star South African batter, is yet to join them. The game will be a test of the Dynamites’ ability and may well prove that they are the force to be reckoned with in 2019 BPL.