The best XI of Bangladesh Premier League
The Bangladesh Premier League has been concluded as the Rangpur
Riders have lifted the trophy for the first time ever. Chris Gayle’s barely
believable century allowed the Rangpur Riders to post a total in excess of 200
and win the match with relative ease by the end.
So what now? Well, for one, Gayle has already been retained
for the next season and will once again be flying in the blue of the Riders.
Secondly, like it happens after most tournaments, player evaluation is an
obligation for most of us.
And as we evaluate this BPL, here is a team of the season
for BPL 2017…
Evin Lewis
The West Indian opener was perhaps the best batsman for the
Dhaka Dynamites in this year’s Bangladesh Premier League. He set the stage on
fire with his powerful stroke-making as he scored 396 runs from 12 innings.
He might as well have ended up as the tournament’s highest
scorer, but then another West Indian snatched that from him.
Chris Gayle
Ah, man, this man is unbelievable. When he is on song, he
can do with an orange what most can’t do with a cricket ball – such is the
power of the man. He started the BPL slowly, but got into groove in Rangpur’s
final three games.
In those three games, he scored over 250 runs and ended up
with the most runs in this year’s BPL with 485 runs from 11 innings with two
centuries in two very important games. He is truly the man of the tournament.
Sunil Narine
West Indians are the best when it comes to T20 cricket – and
here is a perfect example of that as Narine becomes the third West Indian
player on this team. The mystery spinner might not have had a blasting BPL with
the bat – not as much as he had in IPL – but still did a decent job with the
bat and an excellent job with the ball.
The spinner made exactly 200 runs in this year’s edition
from 10 innings – a decent 20 runs-per-innings – and also took 11 wickets in
the process. His economy-rate, however, is the best part about his bowling as
he bowled at an inhuman 4.95 runs-per-over.
Mohammad Mithun (wk)
The first Bangladeshi on this list so far, Mohammad Mithun’s
story has been quite a redeeming one. He was an object of ridicule among the
fans for his poor performances in the past, but made a brilliant comeback in
this year’s BPL.
The 26-year-old smashed 329 runs from 13 innings at a decent
strike-rate of 117.5 and has made a case for himself for the Bangladesh
national team.
Mahmudullah Riyad
And now for the new vice-captain of the Bangladesh Test
team. Mahmudullah Riyad’s name might not be taken in the same breath as the
likes of the Afridis or the Shakibs, but he is a special player in his own
right.
He scored 312 runs from 12 innings at a strike-rate of 130.
He was also very handy with the ball as he took 6 wickets in the 10 innings
that he bowled in.
Ravi Bopara
Another underrated addition, Ravi Bopara is one of the best
players in the T20 circuit. Having played in a million tournaments in his
career, he is what we call a master at one art. This BPL, he used all his
experience to help his team to the trophy.
When the likes of Chris Gayle and Brendon McCullum couldn’t
perform, it was he who carried the ship of Rangpur to the shores of safety. He
made 365 runs from 13 innings and ended up as the second highest run-scorer for
his team.
And that’s not all, he also took 8 wickets in 12 innings –
helping his team in more than one way.
Shakib al-Hasan
This is a man that is regarded as the best all-rounder in
the world – and it is for a reason. The man from Magura dismantled many batsmen
with bowling as he ended up as the highest wicket-taker in this year’s BPL with
22 wickets.
With the bat, however, it wasn’t the best of tournaments as
he scored 211 runs from 13 innings. While this might seem like good numbers –
which it is – it doesn’t match the expectations that Shakib has infused with us
with his past performances.
Shahid Afridi
Boom… Boom! This is basically what Shahid Afridi is known
for, apart from throwing away his wicket quite cheaply. The Pakistani cricket
is a pure entertainer and has served his purpose this BPL with some eventful
performances.
With the bat, he is more erratic than a mental patient at
psych ward, but with the ball, however, he is one of the best in the business.
In just 8 matches, he got 15 wickets to 5th highest wicket-taker in
the tournament.
Mashrafe Mortaza (captain)
If you take a look at his legs, you will realize that this
is a man that lives through pain to play for his respective teams. It doesn’t
matter which team he plays for, he will always give his 100%. People praise him
so much for his captaincy that they sometime overlook that he is one of the smartest
bowlers around.
In 14 innings, he took 15 wickets and was one of the focal
points for Rangpur’s bowling. With the bat, too, he was more than handy as
ended up with 131 runs from 14 innings.
Abu Jayed
Abu Jayed appeared in the BPL circuit last term, but couldn’t
do much to impress the onlookers. However, this season, he had a breakthrough
with the ball as he became the highest Bangladeshi wicket-taker of the
tournament.
With 18 wickets from 12 innings, he ended the tournament on
a high. However, his economy rate of 8.95 might be a bit of a concern, but
nothing too serious at that.
Abu Hider
Before Mustafizur entered the scene, Abu Hider Rony was the
one touted to be the next big thing in Bangladesh cricket. In between, the
other left-arm pacer, Mustafiz, came and took the world apart and then faded
away.
But Abu Hider is still here and might as well make the best
use of the opportunity. In 13 innings this season, he took 15 wickets at an
economy rate on the little higher end of 7 runs-per-over. Not bad, eh?
