BPL 2022: Meet the Six Captains

Six teams will participate in the much-anticipated Bangladesh Premier League 2022, starting tomorrow (January 21) and each will be highly reliant on its captains. Five of the BPL 2022 captains — Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan, Imrul Kayes, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have previously led BPL teams, while Mosaddek Hossain will be making his debut as permanent captain. Mosaddek previously served as the interim captain of Sylhet Sixers in 2019. Let's take a look at their T20 captaincy records and how they can impact their respective BPL 2022 teams. 

T20 Record of Each Captain

Shakib Al Hasan, Mahmudullah Riyad, and Mushfiqur Rahim have a better record as captains than Imrul Kayes, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Mosaddek Hossain. Therefore, the teams that they are leading will gain a competitive edge. Though a skipper cannot accomplish everything on the pitch. The captain's job gets easier when the squad is strong. In that perspective, Imrul, Miraz, and Mosaddek will have an opportunity to show their actual leadership capabilities at the main event. 

Mahmudullah Riyad (Minister Dhaka)  

T20 M: 267 | Runs: 4851 | HS: 70* | SR: 118.86 | Wkts: 126 | BBI: 3/6 | Econ: 7.02 

BPL Captaincy Record (M): 76 | Win: 38 | Lost: 37 | Tied: 1 | Winning Percentage: 50.65%

Mahmudullah Riyad will lead Minister Dhaka in the BPL 2022. Riyad has a lot of experience as a captain, as the stats demonstrate. He has captained 76 matches in the BPL tournament, second only to Mashrafe Mortaza. Mahmudullah Riyad has yet to win a title despite playing in the BPL final twice as captain. Chittagong Kings (2013) and Barisal Bulls (2015) both finished runner-up in BPL under his leadership. Mahmudullah is a capable all-rounder who understands how to make the most of his bowlers on Bangladesh's slow pitches. Mashrafe Mortaza and Tamim Iqbal can also assist him in critical circumstances. Dhaka can aspire to win their fourth BPL championship under the guidance of Mahmudullah Riyad. 

Mehidy Hasan Miraz (Chattogram Challengers)

T20 M: 86 | Runs: 913 | HS: 87* | SR: 111.47 | Wkts: 55 | BBI: 2/6 | Econ: 7.36 

BPL Captaincy Record (M): 12 | Win: 6 | Lost: 6 | Tied: 0 | Winning Percentage: 50%

Former U19 captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz will lead Chattogram Challengers this season. Mehidy Miraz captained Rajshahi Kings in the 2019 season. Rajshahi finished sixth in the points standings under his leadership, with six wins and six losses in 12 games. Mehidy is a natural-born leader, but he has to develop as a captain. Miraz is a very capable all-rounder as a player. He can bat at the top of the order in Twenty20 cricket and his off-spin will be crucial in Mirpur's slow surface.  

Mushfiqur Rahim (Khulna Tigers)

T20 M: 228 | Runs: 4738 | HS: 98* | SR: 126.07 

BPL Captaincy Record (M): 73 | Win: 37 | Lost: 35 | Tied: 1 | Winning Percentage: 51.36%

Mushfiqur Rahim will lead the Khulna Tigers in the BPL 2022. Musfiqur is a seasoned leader, but he has yet to win a BPL championship. His finest performance as a captain came in the 2020 BPL when he led Khulna Tigers to the final. Mushfiqur will be crucial for Khulna this season as a middle-order batter. His leadership skills will be put to the test because Khulna has a limited number of players this season. However, the Mushfiqur-led team must qualify for the playoffs. 

Shakib Al Hasan (Fortune Barishal)

T20 M: 351 | Runs: 5574 | HS: 86* | SR: 120.51 | Wkts: 398 | BBI: 6/6 | Econ: 6.82 

BPL Captaincy Record (M): 64 | Win: 39 | Lost: 25 | Tied: 0 | Winning Percentage: 60.93%

Fortune Barishal's captain for the 2022 BPL is Shakib Al Hasan. Shakib's best achievement as a captain was winning the Bangladesh Premier League with Dhaka Dynamites in 2016. He also guided Dhaka Dynamites to the final in the 2017 and 2019 seasons of the competition. Shakib is one of the top all-rounders in the world as a player. His figures speak for itself. Shakib Al Hasan will undoubtedly make a difference for Fortune Barishal this season both as a player and as a captain.

Mosaddek Hossain (Sylhet Sunrisers)

T20 M: 102 | Runs: 1532 | HS: 60* | SR: 112.72 | Wkts: 35 | BBI: 2/9 | Econ: 6.98 

BPL Captaincy Record (M): 8 | Win: 1 | Lost: 7 | Tied: 0 | Winning Percentage: 12.50%

Young Mosaddek Hossain led Sylhet Thunder for a few games in 2019. His team only won one game during the entire season. He will captain the Sylhet Sunrisers this campaign. Therefore, Mosaddek Hossain's leadership style has to be adjusted in order for him to make better judgments on the field. Mosaddek is a versatile player who can play in a variety of positions. He may be used as a part-time off-spinner or as a hitter in the lower middle order. However, captaining a BPL team will be a significant challenge for Mosaddek Hossain.

Imrul Kayes (Comilla Victorians) 

T20 M: 138 | Runs: 2919 | HS: 82* | SR: 116.62

BPL Captaincy Record (M): 17 | Win: 12 | Lost: 5 | Tied: 0 | Winning Percentage: 70.58% 

When Tamim Iqbal expressed his disinterest in leading the Comilla Victorians in 2019, Imrul Kayes took over as captain. The Imrul-led side went on to win the sixth season of the BPL. Kayes has had notable success as a captain in the BPL. He will captain the Comilla team once again in the 2022 season. Comilla have some of the best T20 players in the world, therefore Imrul's job will be to bring them together. Imrul's contribution to the top order will be crucial. He must play an anchor role for the Comilla team in batting.    

Bottom Line

Shakib Al Hasan and Imrul Kayes both have won BPL tournaments as captains, while Mahmudullah Riyad, Mushfiqur Rahim, and Mehidy Hasan Miraz have yet to win a BPL T20 as skippers. Mosaddek Hossain will take on a new role as season captain, in addition to being an all-rounder. All the BPL 2022 captains are crucial to their respective teams since they have the required knowledge and experience to play on the grounds where the BPL 2022 matches will take place. The event will be held in Mirpur's Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium, Chattogram's Zohur Ahmed Chowdhury Stadium, and Sylhet's International Cricket Stadium. The eighth season of the event will take place from January 21 to February 18.