BPL 2019: Best pre-tournament overseas XI

The Rangpur Riders, under the inspirational leadership of Mashrafe Mortaza, lifted their first Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) trophy last season, but their fans had to wait for a pretty long time for the title defence to begin. With elections being a huge constraint, the tournament did not take place in 2018 as scheduled but is all set to go on stage tomorrow, January 5.

The player draft organised two months back in October saw some chopping and changing, but the squads are relatively similar to the previous ones. Despite managing to rope in some of the best T20 players from across the globe, they have failed to garner the kind of attention that they had anticipated. The organisers, however, will be keen to turn those tables around.

The overlapping schedule with major competitors in the market, the Big Bash League, will come in as a big problem and it will be interesting to see if the quality of cricket here can make people turn their heads towards the subcontinent. On paper, definitely, there are some humongous names who will pull crowds towards them instantly.

Here’s the best XI among the overseas players.

1. David Warner (Sylhet Sixers)

The pocket-sized dynamo, a legend already in the limited overs format, David Warner has been appointed as the captain of Sylhet Sixers. This will provide great exposure to the discarded Aussie cricketer who has played only the CPL in recent times and might be a little rusty getting into the tournament. His statistics though are flabbergasting and the southpaw is a master of facing the white ball in the subcontinent.

His success in the IPL is a huge indication and there are not many reasons suggesting why he cannot replicate the same in Bangladesh. The pitches here will be a lot more difficult to counter for the 32-year-old, but every challenge now will only do him a world of good.

2. Chris Gayle (Rangpur Riders)

Christopher Henry Gayle, most popularly remembered as the King of T20 cricket, was named the Player of the Tournament last season. He smashed two hundreds towards the business end of the tournament, including a sensational 146-run knock in the final where he hit a record-breaking 18 sixes in the innings.

These days, the 39-year-old is under the scrutiny with the age clock ticking rapidly. Every time people had written him off, he came back with a bang and he definitely will be keen to stamp his authority yet again. The first time he comes out to bat in the tournament will mark his 350th innings in T20 cricket, in which he has mustered over 12,000 runs.

3. Steve Smith (Comilla Victorians)

The 2015 champions Comilla will now have the services of one of the biggest talents in world cricket, Steve Smith. A technically gifted and shrewdly unorthodox cricketer, Smith is trying to make up for the lost ground in recent times. This stint will do him a world of good in terms of rebuilding his confidence levels before the World Cup.

There’s very little doubt that he has been the best cricketer in the longest format in the last five years, but he has been inconsistent in the shortest format given the ability he has. That takes nothing away from the high-quality player he is and the Victorians, with his signing, have instantly become a much better side.

4. AB de Villiers (Rangpur Riders)

The Rangpur Riders’ fans will be over the moon watching their squad, which seems pretty perfect for the title defence. One of their biggest and most prolific additions this year will be AB de Villiers, who quit international cricket last year in May. For the first time, he will be taking full part in the league. AB de Villiers and Chris Gayle last paired up together in the IPL for Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2017.

The sensational duo will be back together again with the Riders and will certainly relish each other’s presence. The South African legend is just 69 runs away from registering 7,000 runs in T20s and it might not take a long time for him to get to that landmark.

5. Nicholas Pooran (Sylhet Sixers)

One of the most exciting and prodigious young talents in world cricket, Nicholas Pooran was recently roped into the Kings XI Punjab side in the IPL. Before that acid test, in much more difficult Asian batting conditions, the 23-year-old will be keen to prove his worth and do justice to all the compliments he has been receiving.

His T20 record isn’t that great, but in recent months, the Trinidadian has been pretty good. The wicket-keeper batsman might get an opportunity to open with Warner or play in the middle order as a finisher, whichever would be his preferred option. With a career strike-rate in excess of 140, he already is riveting the Sixers fans.

6. Sikandar Raza (Chittagong Vikings)

Arguably the best T20 player Zimbabwe have produced, Sikandar Raza is a regular feature in most of the T20 tournaments across the globe. The all-rounder will continue his stint with the Chittagong Vikings in the upcoming season and his performances will be crucial in making them genuine title contenders.

He will be playing under the able guidance of Mushfiqur Rahim and to transform this side into a major force to reckon with will be his biggest challenge. Time and again, Raza has shown some glimpses of how destructive he can be, but a little more consistently can take him places.

7. Andre Russell (Dhaka Dynamites)

The most successful team in BPL history, the Dhaka Dynamites once again will not find it difficult to romp through towards the title. Andre Russell provides the exact T20 dynamic which every team dreams of and at the end of the tournament, he might as well be one of the players of the tournament.

A sensation with both bat and ball, once Russell gets going, it is pretty difficult to deal with his threat. He will be accompanied by some other pretty talented all-rounders in Shakib Al Hasan, Kieron Pollard and Sunil Narine, which makes the Dynamites strong contenders to win their fourth title.

8. Sunil Narine (Dhaka Dynamites)

In recent years, Sunil Narine discovered his ability to contribute with the willow and has been doing a terrific job in both departments. But his predominant job would still remain as a lethal spinner who plays mind games and traps batsmen with his astute trickery. With his all-round skills, he can be an asset to any team around the world.

He’s the only cricketer right now to average less than 20 with the ball and have a career strike-rate in excess of 145 (Minimum 1,500 runs). The first game he plays in the tournament will mark his 300th T20 appearance and has represented 12 teams in the process. His spinning duo alongside Shakib will be one of the partnerships to watch out for in the tournament.

9. Lasith Malinga (Khulna Titans)

A T20 legend who needs no introduction, Lasith Malinga is rediscovering himself in the last few months to keep himself fit for another couple of years. His slinging yorkers and deceptive variations with the leather might’ve lost the venom a little bit, but he will continue to remain a force to reckon with for most batsmen.

He is not playing cricket as regularly as the Titans would’ve liked and his pace too has dipped quite drastically. He clearly is the senior most cricketer in the Titans’ lineup and will be leading the bowling attack alongside Yasir Shah. He has a big responsibility in hand and this stint has a plethora of new challenges in the store for him.

10. Oshane Thomas (Rangpur Riders)

Oshane Thomas is currently one of the fastest bowlers in the fraternity and despite some struggle in the T20I series in Bangladesh recently, there’s no one doubting his incredible talent and future. The Caribbean fast bowler will be getting great exposure of the Asian conditions before the IPL kick-starts, where he will be representing Rajasthan Royals.

The 21-year-old is still making early inroads into professional cricket and it would be unfair to judge him by his statistics. He’s tall and well built, which helps him bowl pretty quick and extract uncanny bounce from the track. If he can live up to the early expectations, Windies will have a new fast bowling icon very soon.

11. Sandeep Lamichhane (Sylhet Sixers)

The current flag bearer of Nepalese cricket, Sandeep Lamichhane is making himself famous with some outstanding performances in IPL and Big Bash. The teenage leg-spinner from Aruchaur is touted as the next big thing already and the way he’s bowling on Australian tracks in the BBL has been outstanding.

He will now fly from Australia to Bangladesh after completing his stint with the Melbourne Stars. After becoming the first Nepali cricketer to play in IPL and BBL, he will set the same record in the BPL as well. Bangladeshi tracks are best suited for spinners and he will certainly be licking his fingers getting into the tournament.

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