Akeal Hosein

Akeal Hosein is a Trinidadian cricketer who represents West Indies and is a left-arm orthodox bowler. He has represented West Indies in the 2012 U-19 World Cup in Australia and made his first-class debut for Trinidad and Tobago during 2012-13 Regional Four Day Competition against Jamaica. The following season, in 2013-14, he was the Man of the Match in consecutive games where he registered figures of 6/33 and 5/34 against Windward Islands and later on scored his maiden first-class hundred against the Leewards.

Hosein made his ODI debut against Bangladesh in January 2021. Soon, in the same year, Akeal was given the white-ball central contract by the Cricket West Indies for 2020-21 season. Akeal Hosein made his T20I debut against South Africa in July 2021 and was also included in the West Indies squad to play the last two T20Is against Australia.

Hosein was picked to play for Barbados Tridents in the 2014 edition of the Caribbean Premier League. He represented the side till 2019 and then moved to Trinbago Knight Riders ahead of the 2020 season. He has been one of the most consistent performers in the CPL, being equally handy with the bat and a livewire on the field.

Hosein's franchise career progressed from a five-year tenure with the Barbados Tridents (2014-2019) to a high-impact role with the Trinbago Knight Riders (TKR) starting in 2020. He was a key member of TKR's 2020 championship-winning side, which finished the season undefeated. His role at the franchise transitioned into that of an opening bowler who specialized in the powerplay. In the 2024 CPL season, he took 9 wickets in 9 matches for TKR, followed by a 13-wicket haul across 13 matches in the 2025 season.

From 2022 onwards, Hosein expanded into the global T20 circuit, participating in the Big Bash League (BBL) for the Melbourne Renegades and the Sydney Sixers. A defining franchise milestone occurred on March 8, 2024, in the Pakistan Super League (PSL) while representing the Quetta Gladiators. Hosein recorded a hat-trick against Peshawar Zalmi, dismissing Aamer Jamal, Mehran Mumtaz, and Luke Wood in three consecutive deliveries to become the sixth bowler in league history to achieve the feat.

Following his debut year, Hosein established himself as a primary white-ball spinner for the West Indies. In June 2022, he recorded his career-best ODI bowling figures of 4/39 against the Netherlands and his highest ODI batting score of 60 against Pakistan. In May 2024, he was named in the West Indies squad for the 2024 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, where he achieved the best-ever bowling figures for a West Indian in the tournament's history, taking 5/11 against Uganda.

By late 2024, his consistency led him to the summit of the ICC Men's T20I Bowling Rankings. On December 18, 2024, he officially became the number-one ranked T20I bowler in the world, unseating Adil Rashid. He maintained this top ranking through the first quarter of 2025. In September 2025, Hosein was appointed captain of an inexperienced West Indies T20I squad for a three-match series against Nepal in Sharjah where unfortunately West Indies lost the series in the most shocking way.
In 2025 and 2026, Hosein's value as a specialized spin option grew across major leagues. He represented the Texas Super Kings in the 2025 Major League Cricket (MLC) season as a replacement for Mitchell Marsh and played for the Trent Rockets in The Hundred.

During the December 2025 IPL auction, Chennai Super Kings (CSK) purchased him for his base price of ₹2 crore. CSK management targeted him as a strategic resource to bolster their spin attack alongside Noor Ahmad, particularly after the departure of Ravindra Jadeja from the squad. Most recently, in early 2026, he featured for the Joburg Super Kings in the SA20 league before joining West Indies for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

In February 2026, during the ICC Men's T20 World Cup, Hosein reached a major career milestone. In a match against England at the Wankhede Stadium in February, he claimed his 150th international wicket across all formats.