The arrival of AB de Villiers is not only a moderate boost for Rangpur riders looking desperately for victory after two close defeats, but also for the entire league. The BPL is about to lose David Warner, the second of his marquee players to retire due to injury in the middle of the competition for Steven Smith. With de Villiers for at least six games, there will certainly be more spectators in the stadiums.
After arriving on Thursday, de Villiers scored his first goal for Riders, who will face Warner’s Sylhet Sixers on Saturday. A game they have to win to win the final leg of the league season. De Villiers, who is on top of the riders alongside Chris Gayle, Alex Hales and Rilee Rossouw, said they want to recover in the tournament.
“It’s a fantastic team to look at the names,” de Villiers said after arriving in Sylhet. “It’s a really well-balanced team, and I know the Rangpur riders have had some success in the past, if we can shake up the final stages of the tournament, the last six games in the pool phase, hopefully We qualify for the knockouts. “
De Villiers said the BPL will be a tournament that will ease him into the new T20 season as he will also be signing up for PSL and IPL in the coming months.
“I played a bit of cricket in the Mzansi League in South Africa,” he said. “You can call it the beginning of my new season, I have to stay fit and busy, I really enjoy going to Bangladesh, I have not been here for a while.
“I’ve heard good things about the BPL, I asked the boys at the IPL what it’s like, and they said the quality of cricket is fantastic, it’s a tournament that is gaining in strength from year to year, I’m very happy to be part of it this year. “
De Villiers said he did not mind a bit of turn on the pitches, although the surfaces during this tournament haven’t made too many batsmen happy. “The wickets here are always good. You get a little bit of turn. I don’t mind.
“I have always enjoyed wickets that turn a bit, and then you get some good wickets as well. I have seen our last game against Sylhet. The wicket played pretty well. Hoping for that again tomorrow.”
De Villiers arrived in Bangladesh with form on his side, having made 282 runs with a 162.06 strike rate in the Mzansi Super League. He remained realistic about his performance in a new competition, but didn’t rule out the big hits.
“It motivates me to go out and play well,” he stated. “I have expectations throughout my career, so it is nothing new to me. The game of cricket is up and down. You can’t perform every game. I am also realistic about the sport. I don’t expect too much of myself. But I do expect some fireworks from time to time.”
