Half of the fixtures in the Bangladesh Premier League BPL 2024 have been done and dusted. Some teams have had a good start to their campaign and some are still looking to find ways to win games consistently. Rangpur Riders, have found themselves at the top of the points table with 5 wins in 7 games. And one of the main contributors to their success is Babar Azam. Babar Azam has lightened up the BPL 2024 with his classical strokeplay. Today, we will talk about Babar Azam’s performance in BPL 2024 in detail. So don’t go anywhere.
Babar Azam Dominates BPL 2024
The Pakistani right-handed batter Babar Azam has been phenomenal in his first 6 games for Rangpur Riders. Babar Azam has played a crucial role in the team’s good performances as Rangpur found themselves at the top of the points table with 5 wins in 7 games. Chattogram Challengers also has 5 wins but Rangpur’s net run rate (NRR) is better than Challengers.
Babar Azam is in a very good knick as he is the highest run-scorer in the tournament so far. In 6 games he has played, he scored 251 runs with an average of 50.20. He went past Mushfiqur Rahim, who was the highest run scorer for a while in the tournament. Mushfiqur Rahim has scored 237 runs with an average of 39.50 in 7 games till now.
Babar Azam’s classical strokeplay lights up the BPL 2024
The right-hander has shown his class in the BPL 2024 as well. We know how good a player he is. Not just in this format, but in all formats around the world. He didn’t rely much on unorthodox strokeplay and plays cricketing shots. Still, he found a way to score runs consistently in the shortest format of the game.
The way he plays his shots is mesmerizing to see. His classical strokeplay is always pleasing to the eye. The team would hope that he will continue his good form throughout the tournament and bring the trophy home.
Babar’s performances match by match
After missing the first game against Fortune Barishal, he joins the team for the 2nd game against Sylhet Strikers. He immediately made an impact in his first game.
The bowlers did the job for the team and restricted Sylhet to just 120. But Rangpur lost 6 wickets for just 39 runs in 7 overs in a small run chase. The target looks far ahead at that stage for Rangpur. But Babar Azam, along with Azmatullah stitched a strong partnership to get the team home. He remains unbeaten on 56 runs off 49 balls with 6 fours.
In the next game against Khulna Tigers, he got out cheaply on 2 runs off 8 balls. Rangpur lost that game as well by 28 runs while chasing a target of 161.
Babar becomes the Player of the Match in the next game against Durdanto Dhaka. He scored 62 runs off 46 balls with 5 fours and a six. Rangpur scored 183 in the first inning and won the game by 79 runs.
Babar’s cameo against Comilla Victorians in a close-fought game
In the next game, Rangpur scored 165 runs in the first inning. Although there were no big scores, but still Babar Azam was the highest run-scorer in the first inning. He played an important knock of 37 runs off 36 balls with 4 fours and a six. Rangpur won the game by 8 runs.
No answer for Sylhet against Rangpur
Rangpur won their next game convincingly by 77 runs against Sylhet Strikers. In the first inning, Rangpur scored 162 with the help of Babar’s 47 off 37 balls and Nurul Hasan’s 46 off 30 balls. Sylhet has no answers against Rangpur bowlers. They bundled out for just 85 in the 2nd inning.
Babar’s impactful inning against Durdanto set up a big win
It was the 7th game for Rangpur in the tournament. And Babar Azam again shows his worth. He scored 47 runs off 43 balls with 5 fours against Dhaka. Rangpur puts 175 runs on the board in the first inning.
Again, Rangpur bowlers were relentless with the ball and bowled Dhaka out for just 115. Rangpur registered their 5th win in the tournament.
Conclusion
So these are the performances of Babar Azam in the BPL 2024 so far. He has made an impact in almost every game. The batter brings stability at the top of the order and knows how to pace his inning. If Rangpur has to do well, Babar can be their trump card as far as batting is concerned. Their bowling too has done well till now.
Let’s see how they go about their business. Rangpur Riders’ next game is against Chattogram Challengers on February 10 at Dhaka.
What do you think? Will Rangpur Riders win the BPL title this year? Comment your prediction below.
FAQs:-
(1) Has Rangpur Riders won the BPL title ever?
Yes. Rangpur won their only title in 2017 when they beat Dhaka Dynamites in the final by 57 runs. Chris Gayle became the Player of the Tournament that year while playing for Rangpur Riders.
(2) Has Babar played in the BPL before this season as well?
Yes. Before playing for Rangpur, Babar played for Sylhet Sixers in the BPL 2017 season.
