When he first walked into the players’ transfer room alongside the Rangpur Riders management for the Bangladesh Premier League, quite a few eyebrows were raised due to his age. People were surprised, but there was no question about his acuity and acumen needed to steer a team forward. Once a surprise at the players’ transfer table, Shezaad Akbar Sobhan is now a familiar presence at Rangpur Riders. Still the youngest team director in franchise-based T20 cricket, he speaks about auctions, pressure, leadership, and learning – both on and off the field. During an exclusive chat with Zaigum Azam at the Rangpur Riders’ training session at their home ground in Bashundhara Sports City, this young and dynamic leader shared his plans. Here’s an excerpt from the interview:
Question: Do you know you are the youngest team director in the world of franchise-based T20 tournaments?
Shezaad: Yes, I know, and I am really proud of it. It’s a privilege for me, and I feel very good because not many people get this opportunity. I am very happy and grateful. Through this, I can gain a lot of experience. In the future, with more experience, I can run teams even better. Being young and running a team is a huge learning experience for me, and it will make my future easier.
Question: How does it feel when you go to the auction table? Picking players, discussing them, and giving inputs – how does that feel?
Shezaad: Last year was my first year in the draft, which was a new experience. This year it was an auction, which I liked even more because it’s more active and happening. At the auction, I learned a lot – how to bid for players, build team combinations, decide the batting and bowling order, and define the role of all-rounders. All these team management discussions happened together at the auction table.
Question: Do you take preparation before going to the auction table?
Shezaad: Yes, yes, of course. From the auction, as always, we choose players as a team. But sometimes there are individual preferences for certain players. So sometimes I do that — I choose a few players myself and then together with the team management we choose everyone.
Question: Do you watch other leagues like the Big Bash?
Shezaad: Yes, I watch cricket. Right now, I’m watching the Big Bash where our Bangladeshi player Rishad is playing. I also follow the Ashes, the World Cup, BPL, IPL – basically anything that’s going on.
Question: And there you take some notes, like probably, this player is a good player or things like that because everyone doesn’t watch all the matches?
Shezaad: Yes (I take notes and keep a track). So, in this ILT20 I watched one game where there was one particular player whom I really thought played outstandingly. So I was kind of scouting players for next year that I can recommend to my team. And if we can get him to play for our team, it will be good for us.
Question: How do you manage your time? I mean you study and you manage this thing – how do you manage your time?
Shezaad: Actually, running a team involves a lot of time management. You have to study and get good grades, and at the same time you have to run a team. So it’s a lot of work, but at the same time, since it’s my passion, I think I take it easy. Because since it’s a passion, I don’t think it as a hard work. I take it light and easy so that I can enjoy it as well. I don’t want to take it really hard. I want to enjoy myself and just do my best.
Question: There must be pressure, especially during losing streaks. Last year, you won eight matches in a row and then lost a few. How was that for you?
Shezaad: Yes, yes, 100 percent. Because last year we won eight matches in a row, and then, towards the end, lost four or five matches – that was actually a bit painful for us. But we were definitely trying. And for me, I felt a lot of pressure myself because after winning eight matches, losing four matches in a row – it feels bad. But it’s part of the game, right? We tried but then we lost.
Question: But that’s the beauty of the Rangpur team because whether you lose or win, it’s a family matter. Do you think that this is the biggest strength of Rangpur?
Shezaad: Yes, I agree with you. Because since 2017, when we were the champions, that’s when we started being a family. We don’t take it as just a team. We take it as a family. We do everything together. We take the choices together. We choose everything together – management, everyone – we do it together. We don’t do it individually.
Question: Exactly. That’s one of the reasons why Rangpur is quite different from others. Some of the other teams, when they lose, blame the players or the management. But when Rangpur lose a match, they simply say that they lost the match. It’s the motto of the team?
Shezaad: Yes, it’s always a “we”. We never single out an individual and say, “You lost the game for us.” We always take responsibility as a team. We accept the blame together, learn from it, and aim to do better in the next games.
Question: Talking about the players – the players you have chosen – how confident are you about this team, and why?
Shezaad: I am very confident this year because I really like our batting line-up. If you look at our foreign players’ line-up, it’s also very strong, complementing our locals. We have Litton Kumar Das – a brilliant and classical player – and Towhid Hridoy, another classical and talented player. If these two click in a match, they can instantly score runs for us.
Our foreign players are also excellent. We have a very promising pace unit – rising stars for Bangladesh – and some skilled leg-spinners. They play domestically or in the Premier League and are very good for Rangpur Riders. These relatively small players have the potential for big careers.
Question: You talked about team management. You are part of the team management. Last year, when you were told you were part of the Rangpur team management for the first time, what was your initial reaction?
Shezaad: Last year was my first year, and my first reaction was, “Wow! I get to join the Rangpur Riders!” It was a huge privilege. I really value this opportunity and am grateful for it. I learned a lot last year, and this year I can apply that knowledge within the team. I discuss things with the coach and the staff and share insights I believe will help the team.
Question: Do you feel having your own practice facilities at Bashundhara Sports City is a luxury, given very few franchises in Bangladesh have their own grounds?
Shezaad: Actually having this ground is very good for the Rangpur Riders. We have this home ground. As you can see, they are all actually able to play very comfortably because it is our own environment and so they can play in their own way. No distraction, not such a big crowd. Sometimes you all see that two teams practice on one ground, but here it is only the Rangpur Riders family. So, here they practice by themselves, they feel comfortable, they feel like a family, and there are no worries for them.
Question: Do you play yourself?
Shezaad: Yes, I play in amateur tournaments. I played one recently, which gave me insight into managing a team. As the captain, I oversaw players and the bowling line-up, made mistakes, but learned from them and improved in subsequent matches. That’s how I started learning from here (playing).
Question: You said you watch almost all games and leagues. Do you follow the IPL closely?
Shezaad: Yes.
Question: Do you follow Mumbai Indians?
Shezaad: Yes, I watched the auction a few days ago and I do like the Mumbai Indians. I also watch ILT matches. Their line-up is always strong, with Kieron Pollard as a key player. Retaining such players long-term builds good relationships. By observing these teams, I learn what works and what doesn’t in managing a team.
Question: Going forward, you keep emphasising that this is a learning experience for your future. Handling individuals will make you more mature, won’t it?
Shezaad: Yes. Right now, I’m still young, so I can’t make all decisions myself. When I’m older and more mature, I’ll start making individual choices about what the team should do. But decisions will always be collaborative – it’s a family team.
Question: But seeing who is being taken and why in a team that must surely help you gather knowledge?
Shezaad: Yes. When we select a player, it’s not just my decision. After confirming with them, we choose together. But when a single person — not just me — has a choice in the team, at that time they choose the player, then we all talk together, and after that the player is signed.
Question: What will be the biggest challenge for Riders this year?
Shezaad: I don’t see any challenges. We’ve been playing together for a long time. I focus on the positive side and just want the team to shine on the field.
Question: Will you stay with the team throughout the tournament?
Shezaad: I will be with the team for one day, but then I will see them going into Sylhet and play. And I think they will do pretty well in Sylhet because all of these players have already played in Sylhet a lot. And I think some of them have not played in Sylhet yet — the young cricketers. But I think both the local and foreign players we have will play amazingly.
Question: Can you tell us about the impact of the Global Super League from a franchise perspective?
Shezaad: Playing in the Global Super League means we compete internationally, which is a big achievement. Winning it once and participating again this year gives Rangpur Riders a larger fan base and recognition. Players gain experience playing on different pitches and in different countries, which benefits the team overall.
Question: Can you tell us something about Nurul Hasan Sohan’s role in the team? You have been backing him for years.
Shezaad: As you can see, Sohan actually did very good captaincy for us last year. He won eight consecutive matches. But then when we lost some matches, we can actually say it was the team’s fault – it is not an individual person’s fault. Sometimes a team can fail, and there is actually nothing we can do about that. But he tried his best as a captain, and we have the faith in him to be our captain for this year, 2026.
Question: You talked about the batters can you tell us what is your expectation from Mustafizur Rahman?
Shezaad: Yes, of course. You all saw that Mustafizur bowled very, very well in the ILT20. I watched that match myself in the stadium. He took three wickets in one over, and I think Mustafizur is one of the best death-over bowlers you can have in Bangladesh.
Question: Thank you very much for your time.
Shezaad: Thank you.
Courtesy: Daily Sun.
Bd-pratidin English/TR
