Sports Desk:

Bangladesh leg-spinner Rishad Hossain has once again earned a spot in the Big Bash League (BBL) after being picked by the Hobart Hurricanes in this year’s player draft, held at NEP Studios in Melbourne on Thursday. Selected as the 13th overall pick, Rishad was the only Bangladeshi cricketer to be signed among 11 hopefuls in the draft.

Rishad had also been drafted by the Hurricanes last season, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) withheld his No Objection Certificate (NOC) due to the national team’s tour of the West Indies. Despite his absence, Hobart went on to clinch their first-ever BBL title.

The 2025 BBL draft saw a strong presence of Pakistani players. Left-arm pacer Shaheen Shah Afridi was the first overall pick, selected by Brisbane Heat, where he joins a pace-heavy lineup featuring Spencer Johnson and Michael Neser. Melbourne Stars retained Haris Rauf using their retention pick after the Adelaide Strikers showed interest. Meanwhile, Melbourne Renegades added Mohammad Rizwan to their squad despite already signing New Zealand keeper Tim Seifert.

Notably, Rishad joins English leg-spinner Rehan Ahmed in the Hurricanes’ squad as the team looks to bolster its spin department. Other Bangladeshi entrants in the draft, including Mustafizur Rahman, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, and Towhid Hridoy, went unpicked.

The BBL season is set to begin on 21 December, with fans eager to see whether Rishad will finally get his chance to debut in the prestigious T20 league.