Shai Hope Joins This Team Amid India vs West Indies ODI Series

Shai Hope [Source: AFP]West Indies captain Shai Hope has signed on with a new team amidst the ongoing India vs West Indies ODI series. Just before taking flight for India, the attacking wicketkeeper-batter also played for the Guyana Amazon Warriors in the CPL 2026 season. Hope’s new signing will now see him turning up for the Hobart Hurricanes franchise in the BBL 2026-27 season in Australia later this year. Notably, the impending stint will mark his return to the BBL fold after a gap of two years.Shai Hope and Hobart Hurricanes reunion confirm amid ODI series in IndiaIn the middle of West Indies’ away ODI series against India, visiting captain Shai Hope has signed a fresh deal with the Hobart Hurricanes franchise for the BBL 2026-27 season. The West Indies wicketkeeper-batter has also become the first men’s overseas signing of the Hurricanes this year, and he will be available for the entire competition between December later this year and January 2027.Also Read- Shai Hope’s ODI Evolution: From Prolific Opener to Elite No.4Hope previously played five matches for the Hurricanes during the 2024-25 edition of the BBL a couple of years ago. This time around, his presence will solidify the Hurricanes top-order, especially after the retirement of fellow explosive wicketkeeper-batter and Australian veteran Matthew Wade. Hobart Hurricanes' high-performance general manager Salliann Beams welcomed the second coming of Hope by saying “Following Matthew's retirement, we knew we needed to add an experienced player who could have an impact at the top of the order and also provide us with another quality wicketkeeping option, and Shai ticks both those boxes.”He added “having Shai available for the entire tournament gives us some real stability. He already knows our environment and a number of the players, so we're really excited to welcome him back to Hobart.”A look at Shai Hope record in BBLAs mentioned earlier, Shai Hope made his BBL debut back in late-2024, also for the Hobart Hurricanes franchise. He played five matches in his maiden season before flying out to UAE for the ILT20. In five innings, the blistering top-order batter minted just 103 runs at an underwhelming average of 20.60 and with a strike rate of 115.73. Overall, he averages a healthy 31.24 in the format after having played 230 games, including 70 internationals for the West Indies. One of the most experienced white-ball campaigners in the world at the moment, Hope will be eager to make his second stint in Hobart count, with an opportunity to turn his previous modest returns into a far more impactful BBL campaign.Hope starts off India series with a major landmarkThe West Indies skipper is currently on a three-match ODI and three-match T20I tour of India. In the first ODI of the tour this past weekend in Thiruvananthapuram, the cricketer made just 12 runs off 11 balls. However, Shai Hope still managed to unlock a major landmark figure in ODIs, surpassing all-time great Vivian Richards and completing 1,000 ODI runs against India. He also became only the ninth West Indies cricketer overall to breach the milestone, joining an elite club featuring the likes of Brian Lara, Chris Gayle, Shivnarine Chanderpaul among others.Also Read- Dissecting The Madness Behind Virat Kohli's New ODI Approach