Swashbuckling opener Soumya Sarkar, who has been out of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) since suffering an injury in the second T20I against the West Indies in St. Vincent, returned to practice with his franchise Rangpur Riders yesterday.

It was the first time the southpaw had undergone a batting session, and having been picked for the upcoming Champions Trophy, the Tigers' think tank will be closely monitoring how his condition develops.

Soumya, who had previously undertaken light running exercises since his finger dislocation, is hopeful of a complete recovery.

"It's definitely a good feeling to be back after such a long time. I practiced one day earlier, and today [yesterday] is the second day. It feels great to do it with Rangpur Riders," he told members of the media.

"I'm sticking to my process and consulting with the physio. I'll also inform the BCB physio about my updates. The faster I adjust, the quicker I can recover. My job is to practice, while they handle mobilisation and other tasks. Together, the quicker I recover, the sooner I'll return to the field. For now, the biggest target is to recover completely," added the 31-year-old.