Shakib Al Hasan Named Captain of Bangladesh Tigers for Asian Legends League

Former world number one all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan will captain the Bangladesh Tigers in the second edition of the Asian Legends League, returning to a leadership role in franchise cricket.

The tournament features former international cricketers competing at the Lotus Sports Club Ground in Lusaka, Zambia. Shakib’s inclusion has drawn attention across the cricket community following his absence from official national team fixtures over the past two years.

Former national all-rounder Alok Kapali, who took Bangladesh’s first Test hat-trick, has been named vice-captain. The 16-player squad includes former international representatives such as wicketkeeper Dhiman Ghosh, opening batsman Mehedi Maruf, and pace bowlers Shafiul Islam and Abul Hassan Raju.

The six-team competition includes defending champions Asian Stars, Indian Royals, Pakistan Panthers, Afghanistan Pathans, Sri Lankan Lions, and Bangladesh Tigers. Notable players featuring for other franchises include Shikhar Dhawan, Dinesh Karthik, Harbhajan Singh, and Suresh Raina for India; Kumar Sangakkara and Upul Tharanga for Sri Lanka; and Mohammad Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, and Umar Akmal for Pakistan.

Over his career, Shakib has scored more than 14,000 international runs and taken over 700 wickets across formats. Despite not appearing in recent national team fixtures, he has continued to feature in global franchise tournaments after receiving necessary clearances from the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

The 16-member Bangladesh Tigers squad consists of:

• Shakib Al Hasan (Captain)

• Alok Kapali (Vice-Captain)

• Nazmus Sadat

• Dhiman Ghosh (Wicketkeeper)

• Mehedi Maruf

• Abul Hassan Raju

• Shafiul Islam

• Mukhtar Ali

• Tapash Ghosh

• Nazmul Hossain Milon

• Uttam Kumar Ghosh

• Saqlain Sajib

• Farhad Hossain

• Emon Ahmed

• Al Mamun Russell

• Sadekur Rahman