Babar Azam, the current Pakistan cricket team captain, is set to play the next edition of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL 2024) after seven years. The Rangpur Riders franchise has signed Babar Azam for BPL 2024, which will start in January next year.
Reportedly, Babar Azam had tremendous offers from the UAE’s ILT20, but the Pakistani captain opted for the Bangladesh Premier League. In the initial stage, the player was confused about choosing a team. But ultimately signed with Rangpur Riders.
The same Situation Again for Babar Azam
The same situation came for Babar Azam when he had to choose either Lanka Premier League (LPL) or Global T20 League. But he chooses LPL over the Global T20 League after his father, Azam Siddique persuaded him.
The reason for that was the Asia Cup 2023 has to be played in Sri Lanka. So if Babar plays in the LPL, he will know the Sri Lankan conditions better and acclimatize with the weather. So that’s why, despite knowing the hotter conditions, workload, and contract money, Babar Azam played LPL over the Global T20 League. Also, the WC 2023 will also happen in Asian conditions.
Babar Azam in LPL 2023
Babar Azam has done well in the LPL and has become the 2nd highest run-scorer in the tournament. He scored 261 runs in 8 games with an average of 32.62 and a strike rate of 132.49. Babar also scored a century in the tournament.
Set to play in BPL 2024
Babar Azam will now play for Rangpur Riders in the BPL 2024, starting in January. It was in 2017 when Babar Azam played in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) last time. He played for Sylhet Sixers in that season.
Rangpur shared the news to the fans via their Facebook handle
The franchise gave this news to the fans via their Facebook account. However, the team did not fully unveil the player and asked the fans to guess.
“We are here with another surprise after signing the world’s No. 1 all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan in the fight for victory! Dear Rangpur Riders fans guess who is going to be the new rider by matching the information given in the picture, and share your opinion in the comments.” – The franchise wrote on its official Facebook account.
Babar’s BPL record
He only played 5 games in BPL so far. In 4 innings, he has scored 117 runs with one fifty. His highest score in BPL is 54, which came against his current BPL franchise, Rangpur Riders.
Other leagues played by Babar Azam
The Pakistani captain, other than BPL, has played in a few other T20 leagues as well.
In PSL (Pakistan Super League). He represented Islamabad United in 2016. After that, he joined Karachi Kings in 2017 and has played for them till 2022.
In 2023, he played for Peshawar Zalmi in PSL.
Babar Azam’s Performance in CPL
In 2017, he played for Guyana Amazon Warriors in the Caribbean Premier League (CPL). He scored 79 runs in 5 innings with the highest score of 23 in CPL.
Babar Azam’s Performance in England’s Domestic T20s
Babar Azam also played for Somerset for two years (2019-20). Currently, he played in the Lanka Premier League and became the 2nd highest run-scorer in the tournament.
Other than that, he also played for Dublin Chiefs in the Euro T20 Slam.
Rangpur Riders looking for their 2nd title
Rangpur Riders has already won one BPL title in 2017. They defeated Dhaka Dynamites in the season’s finale by 57 runs after scoring 206 in the first inning.
They will now look to win the 2nd title in the BPL. And for that, they have made some changes in the team. The franchise is now banking on some of the big players to get them another trophy.
A few more big names on the team | Rangpur Riders
Along with Babar Azam, the franchise has signed Ihsanullah and Shakib Al Hasan. They also retained players like Nurul Hasan Sohan, Mahedi Hasan, and Hasan Mahmud for the BPL 2024.
Babar is currently playing in the Asia Cup 2023
Right now, Babar Azam is leading the national team in the Asia Cup 2023. His main focus right now will be this and the upcoming ICC ODI World Cup 2023, starting on October 05 in India.
Pakistan is currently the No. 1 team in ODIs. And they are justifying their rankings. They have done well so far in the Asia Cup 2023. And looking set to play the final as well. Let’s see if Babar Azam can lead the team to a title win in the Asia Cup 2023 or not.
Conclusion
So this is the news coming up from Bangladesh. Babar Azam’s inclusion in the team will strengthen Rangpur Rider’s batting lineup. He is one of the best batters in the T20 format across the world.
Let’s see if Babar can win the 2nd title for the franchise or not. What are your predictions? Will Rangpur win the 2nd title in BPL 2024? Comment your predictions below.
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