‘If AB gets set, good luck to the bowlers’

Ravi Bopara wishes luck to the rest of the bowlers in BPL upon De Villiers's imminent arrival.

Rangpur Riders were bowled out for just 98, having recovered from a terrible slump where they lost seven wickets for just 35 runs against Chittagong Vikings in the opening fixture of the BPL today. A few days ago, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza had commented on the strangeness of the Mirpur wicket and today Rangpur's top-scorer Ravi Bopara too commented on the wicket.

"It was a difficult wicket to play your shots. In Mirpur, the wicket is unpredictable. We know that scores will be higher in Chattogram and Sylhet," Bopara predicted. 

Things did not quite go his team's way but he fired a warning to the bowlers for the Sylhet and Chittagong phase of the tournament where AB de Villiers will join the team.

Chris Gayle has already arrived this morning and Bopara confirmed that De Villiers will join the team from the Sylhet phase. Gayle turned Rangpur's fortunes last season, raising hell in the late stage of the tournament. With De Villiers now in the side, Bopara believes that Rangpur will come back after today's defeat in style.

"Having Gayle and de Villiers in the batting line-up, both world-class batsmen, scares the opposition," he rightly opined.

De Villiers -- set to play his first ever BPL season, is known as Mr. 360 because of his ability to hit the ball all around the park, and Bopara wished the bowlers luck when De Villiers gets to bat in a better wicket that Mirpur's.

"AB de Villiers arrives after the first six games and we know that the next round is played in good wickets in Sylhet and Chittagong. It is good news for us, because he is playing on the best wickets. Only God knows what will happen here [Mirpur]. If de Villiers gets set in Chittagong, then good luck to the bowlers, he concluded.