Sports Desk:

Rangpur Riders have been nothing short of unstoppable, storming through the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) with eight wins in as many matches. They’ve become the team to beat—the invincible of the season.

On Wednesday morning, under the Chattogram sun, the Riders trained with an air of quiet confidence at the Zahur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, as if floating on cloud number nine, knowing their next victory would cement their dominance further.

There’s an electric anticipation in their camp, their eyes set firmly on perfection.

As they prepare to face Durbar Rajshahi in their final match of the Chattogram phase, the stakes have never been higher.

A ninth straight win would not only continue their unbroken streak but also send a powerful message to their competitors.

For Rangpur, Thursday isn’t just about winning—it’s about solidifying their legacy in this year’s BPL.

Riders head coach Mickey Arthur lauded his team’s consistency and synergy. But according to him, they are hungrier than before to keep the winning run as the business end of the tournament is near.

“Yeah, eight in eight is fantastic. The players have been outstanding. We have gelled exceptionally well as a team and our franchise is really really good and we’re happy as a squad and as a unit.”

“Yeah, we couldn’t be happier at the moment but what we realise now is that it almost counts for nothing that we’ve qualified (for playoffs) but for us now it’s about the business end of the tournament. So we’re gearing up for the big challenges that are coming in the knockout phase,” he added.

Soumya Sarkar, who is returning from an injury, will have to sit this match on the bench even though he has been practicing with the team for the past few sessions.

Arthur credited their Global Super League (GSL) triumph for the ongoing unbeaten run in BPL.

“Yeah, it does because it(clinching GSL)   gives you confidence. Confidence is such an important thing in cricket. So it gave us a lot of confidence winning the GSL,” Riders’ head coach said.

“It allowed me to work with those players and understand their game a lot more. So when I came here, I hit the ground running because I knew what our players’ base was already,” he added.

Meanwhile, Arthur applauded the professionalism of his franchise, crediting it as a benchmark for how teams should operate in the BPL.

While lauding the competition’s overall quality, Arthur pointed out that the league would greatly benefit if more franchises followed the example set by Rangpur Riders.

“It’s a very good competition, but it needs very good franchises. We’re a very good franchise; we operate properly as a franchise. If we can get franchises like Rangpur, it will make the competition very, very good. Our franchise is very professional, being run exceptionally well. From our point of view, very, very happy,” Arthur remarked.

Arthur expressed optimism about the league’s potential but emphasized the importance of strong and professionally managed franchises to raise the standard.

“The tournament’s standard is good, and it has the potential to get better and better. Like I said, we need good strong franchises. We need professionally run franchises for it to be very good. Unfortunately, there are a couple of franchises who aren’t. We’re very happy with ours; ours is very, very good.”

He also stressed the role of foreign recruits in elevating the competition and their contribution to nurturing local talent.

“I think the foreign recruits have to come here and lift the standard. As a foreign coach, my aim, yes, is to win the competition, but also to improve the young Bangladeshi players. When the foreign recruits come, yes, they lift the standard of the competition but also make the Bangladeshi players better. Ultimately, that’s why you have this competition,” he concluded.