Alex Hales set to feature in the sixth edition of BPL
Alex Hales, the English cricketer, will be featuring in the next season of Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) that is scheduled to be played from 5 January 2019. The defending champion of BPL, Rangpur Riders, roped him in. Ishtiaq Sadek, the CEO of Rangpur Riders confirmed the inclusion of the explosive batsman to the squad.
Rangpur outplayed Dhaka Dynamites in the last edition of the BPL final as Chris Gayle struck a century in the grand finale at Shere Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Mirpur. The West Indian batting monster will also feature in the upcoming season of the domestic T20 league in Bangladesh.
It means, Rangpur's assault to defend the title might be kicked off by the opening pair of Gayle and Hales. Both of them are known for their aggressive style of batting that is a must needed quality for the BPL-like tournaments, and the forthcoming BPL will be the first Bangladeshi domestic event for Hales.
Hales was a part of the 2018 Indian Premier League (IPL). He played for Sunrisers Hyderabad as the replacement of David Warner who was prohibited playing the IPL due to his involvement in the ball-tampering scandal during Australia's last South Africa tour.
He played six matches in the IPL and scored only 148 in an average of 24.67. He played 56 T20I for England and scored 1601 runs in an average of 32.67. He has a century and eight half-centuries with his name in T20Is.
Hales' ODI career is the best reflection of his talent. In the 50-over international matches, the right-handed top-order batsman scored 2302 runs (till the date) in an average of 38.37. He struck six centuries and 13 half-centuries in the format.
Rangpur retained four players from their previous arsenal. Their retention included the captain Mashrafe Mortaza, Mohammad Mithun, Nazmul Islam Apu and the 'six machine' Chris Gayle. Rangpur Riders are confident to defend the title of Bangladesh's prestigious domestic event.