Sports
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.
Two staff members of the U.S. soccer team were suspended by FIFA from Monday’s round of 16 game against Belgium.
FIFA did not explain why it imposed the discipline on team manager Sam Zapatka and U.S. Soccer Federation vice president of security Frank Pannell.
The USSF did not give a reason Tuesday other than to say it was not related to the successful effort to have forward Folarin Balogun’s one-game, red-card suspension lifted.
Zapatka has been the team’s administrative manager since 2020 and has worked for the USSF since 2015.
The U.S. was eliminated from the World Cup with a 4-1 loss to Belgium.
The 2026 World Cup has already seen global icons shine in abundance alongside the sudden emergence of breakout stars, and the name standing tallest in the latter category belongs to Erling Haaland.
The towering striker scripted history by guiding Norway into the World Cup quarterfinals, culminating in Monday’s sensational 2-1 triumph over powerhouse Brazil. With his decisive brace against the Selecao, Haaland joined Lionel Messi and Kylian Mbappe at the top of the Golden Boot standings with seven goals.
Haaland’s astonishing success is not merely a product of raw talent; it is the result of relentless discipline. The modern superstar places a meticulous emphasis on recovery, nutrition, and quality sleep. His famous 6,000-calorie daily diet is double that of an average person, focusing entirely on clean, whole foods like raw milk, eggs, steak, and honey — supplemented by his preferred energy sources: cow hearts and livers.
Yet, despite this seemingly strict regime, there is still room for comfort. The forward recently confessed a deep love for Indian cuisine, proving that even a scoring machine has his vices.
That uncompromising lifestyle has earned him nicknames like “The Viking” and “The Android,” reflecting his devastating strength and consistency. However, his goal celebrations are often stoic, shwocasing a grounded mentality.
His approach to physical recovery is equally intense: a £50,000 home cryotherapy chamber, routine ice baths, red-light therapy, daily physiotherapy, and meditation. Even his sleep schedule is unyielding — in bed early, screens completely blacked out, and blue-light blocking glasses firmly on.
On the grass, he has quickly become the ultimate symbol of a rising Norwegian side, pulling worldwide attention from hardcore purists and casual fans alike. But off the pitch, a completely different narrative emerges.
Away from the stadium lights, Haaland is a rare luxury-bag enthusiast who approaches pop culture with a hilarious detachment. During a Formula 1 weekend in Monaco, he accidentally left Hollywood actor Tom Holland on read after being invited to dinner — simply because the striker had no idea who the Spider-Man star was.
His offbeat charm was further encapsulated in Nike’s pre-tournament campaign, “Rip the Script,” where a viral sequence featured actor Channing Tatum dressing up as the Norwegian’s literal twin.
That public adoration has followed the team all the way to their tournament camp in Texas. Embracing the Lone Star State, Haaland’s first recreational stop was Six Flags Over Texas in Arlington, where he posted snippets to Snapchat while taking turns on iconic rollercoasters.
He followed that up with a trip to Wild Bill’s Western Store in the historic West End of downtown Dallas. Treating his millions of followers to a digital shopping trip, the six-feet five-inch forward proudly rocked a black t-shirt reading: “Y’all Can Kiss My Dallas.”
For most athletes, excellence on the field is what drives digital engagement. But in Haaland’s unique case, performance and personality actively feed into one another. His goals keep him squarely in the limelight, but his unfiltered social media presence shows just how large that spotlight has truly become.
Sports
‘Little disappointed in our batting unit’: Miraz rues Tigers’ ODI opener defeat against Zimbabwe
Bangladesh captain Mehidy Hasan Miraz admitted he was “a little disappointed” with his side’s batting after the Tigers slipped to a 25-run defeat in the first ODI against Zimbabwe in Harare on Monday, squandering a record-breaking bowling performance from Nahid Rana.
Nahid produced the best bowling figures by a Bangladesh bowler in ODI history, returning 6 for 21 to bowl Zimbabwe out for 141. However, Bangladesh crumbled for 116 in reply, with another batting collapse reminiscent of their struggles in the one-off Test.
“We bowled really well, especially Nahid. He took six wickets and it was exceptional,” Miraz said at the post-match presentation. “They got a partnership (between Richard Ngarava and Newman Nyamhuri), and those were crucial runs. Little disappointed in our batting unit.”
Nahid surpassed the previous Bangladesh ODI record of 6 for 26, jointly held by Mashrafe Bin Mortaza and Rubel Hossain. Mashrafe achieved the feat against Kenya in Nairobi in 2006, while Rubel matched it against New Zealand in Mirpur in 2013.
Zimbabwe looked set for an even lower total after slumping to 70 for eight, but a vital 63-run stand between Ngarava (27)and Nyamhuri (33) lifted the hosts to 141.
Bangladesh’s top order failed to mount any meaningful resistance in the chase. Only Towhid Hridoy (25 off 58) and Nurul Hasan (31 off 44) crossed 20 as Ngarava and Brad Evans claimed three wickets each, while Blessing Muzarabani and Nyamhuri picked up two apiece.
Miraz felt Bangladesh could also have done more to prevent Zimbabwe’s lower order from adding valuable runs.
“The last few series, the way he [Nahid] has been bowling, it has been excellent. We can do better, but we have to bowl in the right areas. Both batters played really well during that partnership,” he said.
Reflecting on the top-order collapse, Miraz added: “If you get a partnership in the first 10 overs, it would have been better, but we did not get it.”
Two US soccer team staff members suspended by FIFA for Belgium World Cup game
Inside the Haaland machine
‘Little disappointed in our batting unit’: Miraz rues Tigers’ ODI opener defeat against Zimbabwe
