'Captaincy a big opportunity' – Mehidy Hasan

Hasan will lead Rajshahi Kings, who have in their ranks the likes of Mohammad Hafeez, Soumya Sarkar and Mustafizur Rahman.

The 21-year-old off-spinner has prior captaincy experience – he led the Bangladesh Under 19s in the ICC U19 World Cup 2016 and helped them finish third in the tournament – but nothing like leading international cricketers and seasoned T20 professionals.

"It is a big opportunity for me. I've never captained a side in such a big tournament before," Hasan said. "There was an age constraint when I led the under 19 side but here there are many overseas players and also many local players, so this is really a big tournament.

"I think it's a huge experience and a very good opportunity for me. I will try to give my 100% and use my under 19 and age-level captaincy experiences here."

Hasan did a fine job with the youth side, winning the Player of the Tournament award at the U19 World Cup. He said he enjoys the responsibility of captaincy and does not see it as any extra pressure.

"I don't think of it as pressure. Since childhood I have always enjoyed captaincy. It is also good news for me as there are many senior players in the side from whom I can take advice," he said.

He is also looking at this tournament as an opportunity to work on his batting. He averages 19.27 in one-day internationals with one half-century, but has five 50s in List A cricket and can be vital lower down the order for Bangladesh.

"It is an option for me that I can bat, so if I can do well here, I think I could try to fill gaps in the national team in the upcoming international matches."

Hasan has played 22 ODIs and 18 Twenty20 Internationals in his short career since debuting in 2017 and is expected to be central to Bangladesh's plans for the upcoming ICC Cricket World Cup 2019.

BPL 2019 begins on Saturday, 5 January, with Chittagong Vikings taking on Rangpur Riders in Dhaka.