AB de Villiers has been drafted by the Rangpur Riders for the 2018-19 Bangladesh Premier League, which will be contested from 5 January to 8 February 2019.

If the Riders progress to the playoff stages, De Villiers will potentially play nine matches for the defending champions.

De Villiers forms part of a mouthwatering Riders batting lineup that includes big-hitting West Indian legend Chris Gayle, who has a phenomenal T20 strike rate of 148.29. Also in the Riders side is England’s Alex Hales, who has a T20I strike rate of 136.24, which rises to 142.29 in T20s.

The BPL has lined up an impressive array of international stars, including David Warner (Sylhet Sixers), Andre Russell (Dhaka Dynamites), Nepalese wonderkid Sandeep Lamichhane (Sylhet Sixers) and Hazratullah Zazai (Dhaka Dynamites), who recently joined the Six Sixes in an Over club.

Dawid Malan (Khulna Titans), Christiaan Jonker (Rajshahi Kings) and Robbie Frylinck (Chittagong Vikings) have also been drafted.

The BPL’s fixtures clash with the UAE T20x and the Big Bash League in Australia.

Photo: BCCI