If a team is looking to clinch the title in the 2025 edition of the Lanka Premier League (LPL) or the Caribbean Premier League (CPL), it might be wise to sign up Rishad Hossain without delay. Who knows – another franchise might snap him up at the draft?
The reason for such early interest in the Bangladeshi spin-bowling all-rounder is becoming increasingly clear: wherever Rishad goes, trophies tend to follow. The young leg-spinner has emerged as something of a good luck charm in the world of franchise T20 cricket.
The latest example came just last night at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium. In the final of the Pakistan Super League (PSL), Rishad’s Lahore Qalandars chased down a mammoth target of 202 set by Quetta Gladiators – the highest successful run chase in a T20 franchise final – to be crowned champions.
The Qalandars’ squad also included two more Bangladeshi stars – Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz – although neither featured in the playing XI for the final.
Bangladesh have long lacked a world-class leg-spinner, but Rishad’s emergence is beginning to fill that void. Since making his international debut two years and two months ago, he has steadily caught the attention of T20 franchises around the globe.
Last year’s T20 World Cup success proved to be a breakthrough moment, leading to his selection by the Toronto Nationals in Canada’s Global T20 League. Unfortunately, visa complications prevented him from travelling. Still, the Nationals went on to lift the title, with Rishad technically a part of their squad.
The story was similar in Australia. The Hobart Hurricanes picked Rishad for the most recent Big Bash League season, but he was denied a No Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Bangladesh Cricket Board due to a concurrent West Indies tour. Even in his absence, the Hurricanes captured their first-ever BBL title.
Rishad did feature in the inaugural edition of the Global Super League (GSL) held in Guyana last year. Playing for Rangpur Riders, the team bounced back from two opening defeats to go on and win the tournament.
Only last February, Rishad also helped Fortune Barishal lift the Bangladesh Premier League (BPL) title.
Whether he plays or not, the trend is striking: in the last 12 months, every team that Rishad has been associated with has ended up winning the tournament. It’s little wonder he’s being hailed as a talismanic figure in T20 circles.
However, when it comes to title hauls among Bangladeshi players, the veteran Shakib Al Hasan still leads the way. With Lahore Qalandars’ latest triumph, Shakib now has seven titles across six teams in franchise T20 cricket.
The former world No. 1 all-rounder has previously lifted the BPL trophy with both Dhaka Gladiators and Dhaka Dynamites, the CPL with Barbados Tridents and Jamaica Tallawahs, and the IPL with Kolkata Knight Riders (twice).
At the very top of the pile sits West Indies legend Dwayne Bravo, who holds the record for most T20 tournament victories with an astounding 17 titles. Fellow Caribbean superstar Andre Russell holds the record for most T20 titles in a calendar year, having won five in 2016 – including the T20 World Cup, BBL, PSL, CPL, and BPL.
With his growing reputation and uncanny winning streak, Rishad Hossain may not be far behind. For franchises chasing silverware, securing his services might just be the winning move.