2019 Bangladesh Premier League – Rangpur Riders vs Chittagong Vikings Preview & Prediction
THE FACTS
When is Rangpur Riders vs Chittagong Vikings taking place? Saturday, 5th January - 06:30 (UK)
Where is Rangpur Riders vs Chittagong Vikings taking place? Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium
What is the expected weather for Rangpur Riders vs Chittagong Vikings? 22-24c with sunshine all day
What channel is Rangpur Riders vs Chittagong Vikings on? This match will be televised live on Star GOLD HD (Sky 729)
Where can I stream Rangpur Riders vs Chittagong Vikings? This match cannot be streamed in the UK
Where can I get tickets for Rangpur Riders vs Chittagong Vikings? http://www.tigercricket.com.bd/2019/01/02/media-release-ucb-bangladesh-premier-league-t20-6th-edition-tickets-go-on-sale-tomorrow/
THE STATISTICS
HEAD-TO-HEAD
All-time meetings: Rangpur Riders W4, Chittagong Vikings W2
Last meeting: Rangpur Riders beat Chittagong Vikings by 3 wickets
THE TEAM NEWS
RANGPUR RIDERS
Coach: Tom Moody
Captain: Mashrafe Mortaza
- The Rangpur Riders are defending champions from the last edition of the BPL so they will be extremely confident of doing well once again especially due to the fact they were able to retain star man Chris Gayle who led them to victory last time out.
- Their selection of big-name overseas batsmen is impressive with Gayle joined by Alex Hales, AB de Villiers and Rilee Rossouw but they are limited to fielding four overseas players so with all-rounder Ravi Bopara and bowlers Oshane Thomas and Sheldon Cottrell in their ranks, some big names will be left out.
- The local players are as vital as any of the overseas contingent due to the limits imposed so skipper Mashrafe Mortaza and international wicket-keeper Mohammad Mithun will be instrumental to their success once again.
CHITTAGONG VIKINGS
Coach: Nurul Abedin
Captain: Mushfiqur Rahim
- Chittagong Vikings come into this new campaign of the BPL hoping to do better this time around after having struggled in recent years and last season was their worst performance having finished seventh.
- They are led by Bangladeshi international Mushfiqur Rahim and they will need him to be in good form along with recent revelation Nayeem Hasam - who did well in the series with the West Indies - and pacemen Abu Jayed and Khaled Ahmed.
- Their key foreign players are Luke Ronchi, Mohammad Shahzad, Cameron Delport and Sikandar Raza, and while they may not have the star power of the Riders, they do have some series firepower with those at the top of the order.
THE PREDICTION
Rangpur Riders have the quality within their ranks once again to go far in the BPL and potentially defend their crown but the Chittagong Vikings could test them here. If the likes of Ronchi, Shahzad and Delport can fire from the start, they have the ability to cause any team problems. The pitch in Dhaka is expected to play slow however and that will test the batsmen significantly. In many ways, it may favour the Vikings’ batsmen who are experienced with these conditions. That said, the Vikings have become too accustomed to losing in recent times, unlike the Riders and that is why the Rangpur outfit have to be favoured.
