Rangpur aim to consolidate lead

Rajshahi look to improve position

Country’s ‘Home of Cricket’ once again lived up with the activities of all the franchisee teams of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as the bulk of the teams appeared in Mirpur to have their training sessions yesterday.

Table-topper Rangpur Riders will face-off Rajshahi Kings in the day’s first match of the third phase at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) at 1:30pm today.
Both Riders and Kings held their pre-match day practice sessions with the participation of all the local and foreign players at the BCB-National Cricket Academy (NCA).
Both teams already played six matches each, where Rajshahi Kings clinched only two matches off their six matches and Rangpur Riders on the other hand won five matches off their six-match road string.
After the end of the first two phases, Rangpur Riders widened their points tally to place them on the pole position with 10 points. Among the six matches they had played three matches in the first phase, where they conceded only one loss to Dhaka Dynamites but they won three out of three matches in their Chittagong chapter.
Rajshahi Kings on the other hand averted the wooden spoon by two victories that they had done one each in Dhaka phase and Chittagong phase. In both occasions, Dhaka Dynamites were victimised by Kings, who beat them by six wickets in Dhaka and three wickets in Chittagong.
After losing their opener to Khulna Titans in a close-match, Kings surprised Dynamites but later they could not tame any teams so far. The Kings brought James Franklin not only bolstering their line-up but also halting their losing streak.
On the other hand, Rangpur Riders fetched Pakistan all-rounder Anwar Ali to maintain their winning spree. They wanted to bring Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and South African all-rounder David Miller but both could not come due to their national duties.
After their practice session, Rangpur Riders’ off-spinner Arafat Sunny talked to the media about their next match and its opponent.
“We will have our usual planning against our opponent in the next match. We are now on top of the point table but we still have left some more games. Before the end of the group phase, it is tough to say who will be on the top of the point table. So those teams who will do less number of mistakes they will have the possibility of winning,” said Arafat Sunny.
“I am not thinking about the national team. My work is to play cricket. I always try to enjoy cricket. I try to play it attentively whether I play it. I try to give my hundred percent whether it Premier League or BPL or first class cricket,” Sunny told media after their practice session yesterday.  
Sunny remodeled his bowling action after being reported during the ICC World T20 2016. Thereafter his bowling action has been changed what he admitted to reporters.
“Ball has been changed a bit. In past, my ball would not grip but skid a lot and so pace variation would be difficult. Now I can do both. My ball does grip and turns along with bounce. So variation has been increased more than the previous occasions,” the left-arm spinner, who snapped up seven wickets off six matches with the best figures of  3-0 in BPL-4 said.

Rangpur aim to consolidate lead

Rajshahi look to improve position

Countrys Home of Cricket once again lived up with the activities of all the franchisee teams of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) as the bulk of the teams appeared in Mirpur to have their training sessions yesterday. Table-topper Rangpur Riders will face-off Rajshahi Kings in the days first match of the third phase at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium (SBNCS) at 1:30pm today. Both Riders and Kings held their pre-match day practice sessions with the participation of all the local and foreign players at the BCB-National Cricket Academy (NCA). Both teams already played six matches each, where Rajshahi Kings clinched only two matches off their six matches and Rangpur Riders on the other hand won five matches off their six-match road string. After the end of the first two phases, Rangpur Riders widened their points tally to place them on the pole position with 10 points. Among the six matches they had played three matches in the first phase, where they conceded only one loss to Dhaka Dynamites but they won three out of three matches in their Chittagong chapter. Rajshahi Kings on the other hand averted the wooden spoon by two victories that they had done one each in Dhaka phase and Chittagong phase. In both occasions, Dhaka Dynamites were victimised by Kings, who beat them by six wickets in Dhaka and three wickets in Chittagong. After losing their opener to Khulna Titans in a close-match, Kings surprised Dynamites but later they could not tame any teams so far. The Kings brought James Franklin not only bolstering their line-up but also halting their losing streak. On the other hand, Rangpur Riders fetched Pakistan all-rounder Anwar Ali to maintain their winning spree. They wanted to bring Australian all-rounder Shane Watson and South African all-rounder David Miller but both could not come due to their national duties. After their practice session, Rangpur Riders off-spinner Arafat Sunny talked to the media about their next match and its opponent. We will have our usual planning against our opponent in the next match. We are now on top of the point table but we still have left some more games. Before the end of the group phase, it is tough to say who will be on the top of the point table. So those teams who will do less number of mistakes they will have the possibility of winning, said Arafat Sunny. I am not thinking about the national team. My work is to play cricket. I always try to enjoy cricket. I try to play it attentively whether I play it. I try to give my hundred percent whether it Premier League or BPL or first class cricket, Sunny told media after their practice session yesterday. Sunny remodeled his bowling action after being reported during the ICC World T20 2016. Thereafter his bowling action has been changed what he admitted to reporters. Ball has been changed a bit. In past, my ball would not grip but skid a lot and so pace variation would be difficult. Now I can do both. My ball does grip and turns along with bounce. So variation has been increased more than the previous occasions, the left-arm spinner, who snapped up seven wickets off six matches with the best figures of 3-0 in BPL-4 said.