Every team has that one player who refuses to let the fight die. For the NL Tigers, that player is Fahad Hossain. From the very first day the club of a group of youngsters transforming BD Tigers and establishing a fresh NL Tigers, Fahad has carried the weight of being the man who stands tall when all else falls apart.
In 2019, the NL Tigers finished last in their very first season. The team was raw and inexperienced, yet in the middle of struggles Fahad showed what kind of cricketer he was becoming. His 40 off 29 against Eagles that year gave fans a glimpse of his spirit. It was never about how many runs he scored, it was about when he scored them.
By 2020, the Tigers had improved and Fahad’s reputation as the crisis man had already started. Against Hurricanes in the F40 he scored 58 off 36, once again holding the team together when the innings was slipping away. Against Avengers he played one of the most memorable knocks in league history, scoring 68 off 34 chasing 324, only to fall short by a single run. Even in defeat he proved that one man could carry hope until the very last ball.
Then came 2021, the breakthrough year. The Tigers lifted both the T20 and the F40 championships and Fahad was at the heart of it. His 68 not out in the F40 title decider, in partnership with Ali Raza, turned collapse into triumph and gave the club its proudest moment. That same year he collected awards and man of the match titles but what mattered most was that in every moment of crisis, his teammates looked at him and believed.
The story only grew stronger in 2022. The Tigers defended their F40 crown and added the President’s Cup to their cabinet. In the decider against Hurricanes the team was 32 for 4, almost finished before the game had even started. Fahad walked out and played an unbeaten 90 from 51 balls. He rescued the match, rescued the trophy, and once again proved why his team called him their saviour.
The years that followed were not easy. Injuries, departures, and setbacks nearly broke the club in 2023 and 2024. Fahad stepped into every role that was needed. He kept wickets, he dropped down the batting order, he played through pain. Even with his own injury in 2024 he still managed to win four man of the match awards from the five games he played. It was sheer determination to keep the club alive.
Now in 2025, as old faces return and the spark reignites, Fahad continues to be the anchor. This season alone he has scored 51 against Lions when the top order collapsed, 45 against Wolves in another crisis, 31 off 17 against Stars to lift the run rate, and many more innings in the same spirit.
His teammates gave him the nickname Mahi, after Mahendra Singh Dhoni, the world’s most famous finisher. It is a name that carries respect and love. Fahad never chased hundreds or personal milestones. He gave up the opening spot he once had in tape ball days, choosing instead to bat in the middle order where the challenges are greater. Batting at five or six rarely brings centuries but it brings battles and pressure. He wanted those battles. He wanted that pressure.
Fahad’s story is not about averages, it is about moments. Moments when the team is sinking and one man stands firm. Moments when collapse turns into hope. Moments when the Tigers are on the edge and he pulls them back. He has been their last line of resistance, their shield, their finisher, their saviour.
Whenever NL Tigers are in trouble, their eyes go to one man. Fahad Hossain. And time and again, he delivers.