Former Kolkata Knight Riders all-rounder Yusuf Pathan has labeled Shakib Al Hasan as his companion. The duo shared the same team in the Indian Premier League while playing for Kolkata Knight Riders in the earlier seasons.

Both Shakib and Pathan were not retained by the Kolkata franchise in this year’s auction as they decided to put faith in youngsters instead. As a result, both Shakib and Pathan were let out in the auction where the Sunrisers Hyderabad snapped them up.

Finding themselves as team-mates once again, Yusuf Pathan stated that he doesn’t see the Bangladesh T20I and Test captain as his competitor, rather he is hopeful that they will contribute to the team and help the Sunrisers win the competition.

In an interview to NDTV, he said: “Shakib has been a good friend and he is a great all-rounder. We played together at KKR as well, so I consider him to be more of a companion than a competition. Together we will look to contribute to the success of the team.”