Mahedi Hasan’s 'poor man’s Shakib Al Hasan' parallel put to grave after BPL captaincy

Mahedi Hasan and Shakib Al Hasan [Source: X]

Mahedi Hasan has successfully led Chattogram Royals to the final of the Bangladesh Premier League 2025–26. Under his leadership, the Royals won six of their ten group-stage matches and then sealed a place in the final by winning Qualifier 1. They are set to face the Rajshahi Warriors on January 23.

The BPL 2025–26 season has been a rollercoaster ride for Chattogram Royals. The team showed mixed form, registering some strong wins while also suffering a few losses along the way. Chattogram began their campaign on a winning note, stumbled in parts of the league stage, but regrouped well to reach the final.

Speaking about the team’s journey, Royals mentor Habibul Bashar Sumon praised Mahedi Hasan’s captaincy and shut off the quirky comparison involving Bangladesh veteran Shakib Al Hasan.

Chattogram Royals mentor praises Mahedi Hasan's leadership

In recent weeks, social media discussions have compared Mahedi Hasan’s captaincy style to that of Shakib Al Hasan, with some users labelling him “Garib Ka Shakib” or “Poor Man’s Shakib”.

Addressing these remarks, Habibul Bashar dismissed the comparison while applauding Mahedi Hasan’s on-field leadership.

“Brilliant. He’s doing really well. Especially the bowling changes, they’ve been outstanding. Knowing when to use which bowler, moving to Plan B when needed, and leading the side in the right way. The biggest thing is that he has kept his head very cool whenever pressure moments came,” Bashar said.

Bashar shuts down Shakib Al Hasan comparisons

Bashar was quick to shut down the Shakib comparisons, saying that Mahedi is performing well in his own role and is not a mirror image of Shakib Al Hasan. According to him, Mahedi Hasan is his own player and is doing an excellent job as an individual.

“No, using the word ‘poor’ isn’t right at all. I don’t think Mahedi should be compared with anyone. Mahedi is Mahedi, and Shakib Al Hasan is Shakib Al Hasan. What Mahedi is doing in his own role, we are happy with that,” Bashar added.

Mahedi's BPL 2025-26 so far

Mahedi Hasan has also produced strong all-round numbers in the ongoing tournament. Batting in the middle order, he has scored 173 runs in nine innings, averaging close to 35 with a strike rate of 144. With the ball, he has picked up 15 wickets at an economy rate of 8.15.

One of Mahedi Hasan’s standout performances with the bat came against Noakhali Express on January 16, when he scored 49 off 36 deliveries. In the same match, he also shone with the ball, taking three wickets for just 12 runs to guide Chattogram Royals to a solid win in a low-scoring thriller.

Mahedi Hasan’s role was equally pivotal in Qualifier 1. Leading from the front, he took two wickets against Rajshahi Warriors in his four overs and then scored an unbeaten 19 off nine balls to finish the chase of 134 runs in 19.3 overs.

Will Mahedi Hasan ever make it as Bangladesh captain?

While Mahedi Hasan has shown impressive leadership qualities at the domestic level, an immediate opportunity to captain the national team appears unlikely. Bangladesh currently has established leaders across formats, with Mehidy Hasan Miraz as ODI captain, Najmul Hossain Shanto leading the Test side, and Litton Das captaining the T20I team.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has also committed to a leadership transition plan focused on younger players such as Shanto and Miraz in permanent roles. Although Mahedi Hasan is part of this emerging core, the main captaincy positions are currently occupied.

If he continues to deliver consistent performances in domestic cricket, he could be considered for vice-captaincy duties in the future, but for now, the leadership roles remain part of the BCB’s long-term plan.