Dhaka, October 18, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
Left-arm spinner Nahida Akter has been appointed Bangladesh’s new women’s T20I captain, with Sobhana Mostary named vice-captain. Nahida succeeds wicketkeeper-batter Nigar Sultana, who stepped down from the role following the Asian Games.
Rafiqul Islam, chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) women’s wing, said the decision was taken after discussions with the selection panel and other officials.
“We sat with members of the selection panel along with others and decided to hand over the T20I captaincy to Nahida. Sobhana Mostary will be her deputy,” Islam was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz.
Nahida had been widely expected to take over after serving as Nigar’s deputy since the latter became T20I captain in 2022. Islam said the board believed the time was right to entrust Nahida with the leadership after four years as vice-captain.
“Nahida has been the vice-captain for a pretty long time and now we feel the time is right to give her the responsibility of our T20I squad,” he said.
Nigar decided to relinquish the T20I captaincy after the Asian Games in Japan, saying she wanted to focus more on her individual performance. Reports have also suggested that the 29-year-old was unhappy with the way she had been treated by the BCB in recent months.
Nigar will, however, continue to captain Bangladesh in the 50-over format. She recently led the team during its three-match ODI tour of Australia.
The appointments mean Bangladesh will have separate captains for the two white-ball formats for the foreseeable future.
Nahida’s first assignment as T20I captain will be the ICC Women’s Emerging Nations Trophy in Thailand. Bangladesh are scheduled to begin their campaign against Pakistan on November 12.
The tournament will offer Nahida an early opportunity to establish her leadership approach, while she and Mostary begin working together as captain and deputy in a multi-team competition.
FOLLOW NOW
