Kings up against inspired Riders

Darren Sammy was his usual light-hearted self yesterday, posing for selfies with fans just moments after being declared captain of Rajshahi Kings ahead of Bangladesh Test skipper Mushfiqur Rahim, who was given the role of vice-captain for the fifth edition of the Bangladesh Premier League.

However, Mushfiqur seemed relaxed despite not being named captain and was having fun with his skipper.

The runners-up of the previous edition will be up against a new-look Rangpur Riders under the guidance of Mashrafe Bin Mortaza in what promises to be an exciting encounter in the second game of the opening day at the Sylhet International Cricket Stadium today.

After more or less retaining their team from last year, Rajshahi bolstered their ranks with Mushfiqur Rahim and the inclusion of Luke Wright and Lendl Simmons, which will definitely add the batting firepower that was missing last time out. Mominul Haque, James Franklin and Samit Patel will add further resistance to the batting line up.

However they will sorely miss the services of fast bowling sensation Mustafizur Rahman, who is recovering from an ankle injury, leaving the onus on young off-spinner Mehedi Hasan Miraz and the pace bowling duo of Mohammad Sami and Farhad Reza.

On the other hand Mashrafe's inclusion in the Rangpur side will add charisma and leadership, something made even scarier by the prospect of squaring up against one of the most potent opening partnerships after the Riders roped in Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum with their overseas picks.

All-rounders in the likes of Ravi Bopara, David Willey, Thisara Perera and Ziaur Rahman can prove to be vital for Rangpur as well, while Shahriar Nafees and Mohammad Mithun will add further experience.

Rubel Hossain and Ebadat Hossain, who burst onto the scene after a pace bowling hunt, will be alongside Mashrafe in the bowling department.

"In these types of tournaments players come from various places, so getting the right combination will be important. We are trying to get that and if we can do it then we can hope for something good. Everyone wants to become champions but I think it puts extra pressure and I think it's important to go on till the end. And after that it's a do-or-die scenario in the knockout stages so I think it's more important to start well," Mashrafe said after a training session in Sylhet yesterday.

Although there will be less opportunities for the locals to showcase their talents with five foreigners in the line-up this season , the Tigers' ODI captain believed that the tournament was a great platform for the local cricketers to learn and gain experience.

"It's actually difficult to comment on this and I feel sorry that there will be one less local player in the playing eleven and it's an opportunity lost. At the same time we can learn many things when we go through struggles during international games from here which will help them improve," he concluded.