The encounter between Riders, the defending champions, and current runners-up Dynamites is scheduled for 2pm on Friday at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.
Riders have won two of their three matches so far. Dynamites, on the other hand, are flying high, having won both of their matches.
Both teams have some of the big names of T20 cricket. While Dynamites have players like Andre Russel, Keiron Pollard and Sunil Narine, Riders roped in Chris Gayle, Alex Hales and Rilee Rossouw.
Rossouw said they were focusing on performing their best.
“There is no easy game in BPL. Every team is tough. We know we have to face a big challenge against the Dynamites [and] we are up for it,” he said on Thursday during a practice session at National Cricket Academy.
The South African gave a glimpse of his prowess with bat after hitting unbeaten 76 that helped his side taste their first win of the season against Khulna Titans.
Rossouw said they were “not focusing on any individual players,” when asked about Dynamites’ Afghan recruit Hazratullah Zazai, who is currently his side’s top scorer this season.
“If you look at the teams, you see there are many big names. So if you look at the big names only, you will not go anywhere,” the South African star said, adding they were looking forward to the much-hyped encounter.
Riders, led by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, lost their first match of the season but bounced back in the second game. However, they took 12 overs to chase 63 runs in their third match against Comilla Victorians.
In contrast, the Dynamites have had a high-flying start to the sixth edition of the country’s most prestigious domestic tournament. They began their campaign by beating Rajshahi Kings by 83 runs and won over the Titans by 105 runs in the second game.
Dynamites’ coach Khaled Mahmud Sujan said he was hopeful of continuing the good run but admitted that the next match would be tough.
“It will be very challenging but we are confident [of winning],” he told reporters on Thursday. “It will be great if we can replicate our performance from the previous matches.”