'The Kings are a family'

They have done it. After going through one of the worst starts in the competition, the Rajshahi Kings have eventually reached the final of the fourth season of the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) following a dramatic turnaround.

And skipper Darren Sammy seemed very excited about that yesterday.

“We have achieved what we wanted at the start of the tournament, to go to the playoffs and then make it through to the final and the guys have played very well. It's not a one man show. People had said we don't have a star in our team but I always saw us as a team of stars.

“We have truly played like kings. At one point we were down and out but we believed among the group that we would turn things around and we have done that. I am really excited and proud of the way we played,” said Sammy after the match yesterday.

He was particularly happy about the way Sabbir Rahman, who scored a responsible 52-ball 43, played in the crucial fixture yesterday.

“I didn't want to change his batting or style of cricket. I just asked the guys to be responsible. It's not about anyone's ego, it's about the team. Yeah, they had some issues, I have dealt with that.

“I had a word with Sabbir. I told him, well played, that was very responsible, now let's do that again. The Kings is about a family. Once I came here and saw the guys, I knew that we were going to win. I have told the owners that we have come here with a mission and nothing is going to distract us,” said Sammy.

“We have one more game and we will give it everything. It's just another cricket game, but it's a big one. And so far, I think in finals of T20s, you know, I have not been so bad, so hopefully we can win that. We will have a good celebration tonight, it's been a good journey, but we need to continue,” he added.

A disappointed Mahmudullah Riyad on the other hand blamed his team's batting for the defeat. While he was proud of the way his team played throughout the competition, he was not happy with the way his team batted.

“The Batting was frustrating. After all, how long will the bowlers keep defending low totals and keep winning games for us. But still, I am proud of my team. We played good cricket considering the kind of team we had. Had we batted better, things could have been different,” said Mahmudullah.

On another note, Mahmudullah said that Bangladesh have a good chance of doing well against New Zealand in the upcoming series.