Bangladesh’s veteran all-rounder will play for Dubai Capitals, with his former BPL side Rangpur Riders among the opponents.
After the doors to Bangladesh cricket closed for him, Shakib Al Hasan has continued his career through various franchise leagues abroad. Now, his next stop is the Global Super League. The country’s greatest cricketer is set to represent Dubai Capitals in Guyana’s T20 tournament.
On Sunday, Dubai Capitals announced via social media that they had signed Shakib as a replacement for South African spinner Keshav Maharaj.
Shakib was last seen in action during the Pakistan Super League, where he also played as a replacement. He featured in three matches for Lahore Qalandars in May. Before that, due to a bowling action ban and various other circumstances, the 38-year-old all-rounder had been away from recognized cricket for almost six months.
The second edition of the Global Super League kicks off this Thursday, with Shakib’s Dubai team facing New Zealand’s Central Stags in the opening game.
Dubai Capitals, champions of the last ILT20 season in the UAE, are one of five teams in the Guyana-hosted event. The other teams include Rangpur Riders, Hobart Hurricanes, and the home side Guyana Amazon Warriors.
Rangpur Riders, led by Nurul Hasan Sohan, won the inaugural edition of the tournament last December. Sohan returns as captain again this time, leading a strong squad. Among the foreign players are Kyle Mayers, Tabraiz Shamsi, Ibrahim Zadran, Iftikhar Ahmed, Akif Javed, Harmit Singh, and Khawaja Nafay.
Shakib last played in the BPL for Rangpur Riders during the 2024 season. There had been speculation about him playing for Rangpur in the previous edition of the Global Super League. Once again this year, questions about Shakib surfaced during Rangpur’s pre-tournament press conference. The team stated that while they strongly wanted to include him, circumstances in Bangladesh prevented it.
Since the final day of the Kanpur Test against India on October 1, Shakib hasn’t featured in a Bangladesh jersey. He was expected to return for a farewell Test later that month. However, while traveling back from the U.S., he had to halt in Dubai due to security concerns and never made it home. Since the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, he hasn’t returned to the country—and hasn’t been selected for the national team either.
Shakib is set to face Rangpur Riders when Dubai Capitals take them on July 16. Each of the five teams will play each other once in the group stage, with the top two advancing to the final on July 18.
