“We finally have a leg-spinner”

Dallas, 2024. Having ambled to 100-3 after 14 overs, Sri Lanka were looking for the final onslaught on a difficult pitch. Charith Asalanka tried to take the initiative by attempting a slog-sweep off Rishad against the turn, but ended up holing out in the deep. The next ball spun across Wanindu Hasaranga, took the edge, and went to slip. The hat-trick did not happen, but another ball turned past Dhananjaya de Silva’s edge, and Litton Das did the rest.

In the seven balls, Rishad had derailed the Sri Lankan onslaught. They made only 124-9, lost the game, and Bangladesh qualified at their expense.

Rishad was named the Player of the Match for his spell of 3-22. “We finally have a leg-spinner,” said captain Najmul Hossain Shanto after the game. It is important to understand why.

In Bangladesh’s initial years as a Full Member, their spin attack was mostly Mohammad Rafique and a support cast. Things began to change in the late 2010s. Shakib Al Hasan, Taijul Islam, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Abdur Razzak have all left their mark, some of them in multiple formats. Some of them are bona-fide all-rounders as well.

Bangladesh, thus, might have had problems of their own, but spin is not among them. In Asian conditions in particular, their spinners are capable of holding their own against some of the stronger sides.

While formidable, however, the spin department has lacked in one area. If one ignores Mohammad Ashraful’s part-time (we are talking really, really part-time here) mixed bag of spin, no Bangladeshi wrist-spinner has more Test wickets than Jubair Hossain’s 16. In ODIs, Alok Kapali – again, a part-timer (albeit with a Test hat-trick) – leads with 24 scalps. In T20Is, it is Rishad, with 38. And at 22, Rishad seems to be on the rise. Six wickets in his first two games in the PSL – his first franchise league away from home – hints towards that.

How good is Rishad?

To give a TL;DR version, only 18 spinners have taken 50 wickets in men’s T20 cricket since the start of 2024. Of them, Rishad has been slightly towards the expensive side, but he has got the wickets.

This, however, is not the only aspect that defines Rishad. Of the 18, only six have scored more runs than his 232 over this period. Only four have hit more sixes. And only two have scored at a rate quicker than Rishad. These two – Rashid and Narine – are bona-fide legends of the format.

The Sri Lankans would know. They had been at the receiving end not long before that World Cup game. Walking out at 32-6, Rishad smashed seven sixes in a 30-ball 53. In the history of T20 Internationals, no Full Member batter has hit more sixes in an innings from outside the top seven. Add all top-level T20 franchise leagues, and only Rashid (10 against Mumbai Indians in 2023) has more. Nine days later came an 18-ball 48 not out – yet again, against Sri Lanka, albeit in an ODI.

Bangladesh have never had a supply of power-hitters. At the time of writing, Rishad is one of four Bangladeshis to have scored 150 T20I runs at a strike rate over 130. That makes him unique among his compatriots.

One would expect someone of that calibre to become one of the most sought-after T20 cricketers in Bangladesh. Yet, it is in the Bangladesh Premier League that he is used the least.

Rishad Hossain’s usage and performance

Data until April 15, 2025

The Dhaka Premier T20 days are behind him, but Rishad has seldom been used in the BPL. It was perhaps understandable in early 2024, when he was yet to break through into the top league. A tally of 26 overs across 11 games in BPL 2025, however, does raise some eyebrows.

Just as bizarre is the fact that he batted only thrice in the same edition. This, despite him striking at 194 (albeit across only 35 balls), the second-fastest in the edition. With 17 to win in nine balls in the final, Rishad hit Binura Fernando for six and ran three and, in the last over, hit Hussain Talat’s first ball for six to as good as decide the game.

Exactly why Rishad is underutilised in the BPL is best left for another day, but one thing can be said for certain: there is definitely room for him to bowl more overs and bat higher up the order.