Chittagong Vikings won the toss in the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) opener against the defending champions Rangpur Riders and decided to bowl first at Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium.

The Vikings finished the last BPL bottom at the points table. But this time, they are hoping to write a new history as their captain Mushfiqur Rahim said a day before the match, reports the UNB.

‘We are a balanced team now, and we want to take the advantage of the team,’ Musfiqur Rahim said on Friday during practice at National Cricket Academy.

On the other hand, Mashrafe Bin Mortaza, the Rangpur Rider captain, insisted they are all set to fight to defend the title.

‘It always put an extra pressure to play being the defending champions. But we are optimistic and confident. We have to make sure a positive start,’ Masrhafe told the media.

In the second match of the day, Dhaka Dynamites will lock horn with Rajshahi Kings. The second match will kick off at 5:20 pm.

Chittagong Vikings (Playing XI): Mohammad Shahzad, Cameron Delport, Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim(w/c), Mosaddek Hossain, Sikandar Raza, Robbie Frylinck, Nayeem Hasan, Sunzamul Islam, Abu Jayed, Khaled Ahmed

Rangpur Riders (Playing XI): Alex Hales, Mohammad Mithun(w), Rilee Rossouw, Mehedi Maruf, Ravi Bopara, Benny Howell, Farhad Reza, Mashrafe Mortaza(c), Sohag Gazi, Nazmul Islam, Shafiul Islam.