Rangpur Riders' top-order batter Saif Hassan may finally be getting into the T20 groove following a good run of form in the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League.

Saif, who represented Bangladesh in a few Tests and T20Is in 2020-21, did not enjoy much success in the build-up to the tournament as he scored 41 runs in three matches in the Global Super League in Guyana for Rangpur Riders before managing only 47 runs in seven innings for Dhaka Division in the National Cricket League T20 in Sylhet.

However, since the start of the BPL, the 26-year-old has been in superb touch as he has already scored two half-centuries in four innings, including a swashbuckling 80 off 49 balls featuring seven sixes and three fours in the run-fest against Sylhet Strikers in the first match of the Sylhet phase yesterday.

Saif currently leads the run-getters' chart with 186 runs.

The Dhaka-born batter said he had a plan before the BPL and that he worked with national team's senior assistant coach Mohammad Salahudddin.

"Definitely there was plan. I worked with Salahuddin sir, who backed me a lot. A lot of the members of this team also backed me," Saif told reporters after his career-best T20 knock yesterday.

The pressure of a 205-run chase hardly had an impact on Saif, who came following the dismissal of Azizul Hakim Tamim after the opening over, and took a more attacking approach compared to his partner from the other hand, Alex Hales.

In the previous game, too, this duo played similar knocks with Saif making an unbeaten 46-ball 62 in a partnership of 113 runs for the third wicket with Hales, who remained not out on 49 off 41 balls, in Rangpur's eight-wicket win over Fortune Barishal in Mirpur on January 2.

At one stage yesterday, both players had scored 69 off their first 42 balls before Hales took charge by smashing Sylhet skipper Ariful Haque for three sixes and a four in the 16th to motor past Saif.

Hales eventually remained unbeaten on 113 off 56 balls to help Rangpur to an eight-wicket win in the match which witnessed a BPL record of 31 sixes hit. The win, which also the record second-wicket partnership of 186 runs between Saif and Hales, kept Rangpur firmly on top of the table with four wins in four matches.

"There was nothing specific. I only wanted to play according to the merit of the ball," Saif said. "He [Hales] also batted well…He also tries to bat according to merit. He has scored 13 thousand T20 runs. There is a lot to learn from him."

"The wicket was good. I tried to adjust to the wicket. The partnership gradually turned out to be good. But initially I tried to take time. It feels good to contribute to the team in two games," Saif said, adding that he has no regrets over missing out on a century.

With a strike-rate of 137.77 in this BPL, Saif, who had career strike-rate of 112.46 in 58 T20s before the start of this tournament, seems to be on a new mission of turning things around.