Bangladesh announces 15-member cricket team for Asian Games 2026

The 20th Asian Games will begin on September 17 in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, where all cricket matches will be played at Korogi Sports Park. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has announced a 15-player T20 team for this tournament, with Liton Das appointed captain again.

Bangladesh won the bronze medal at the last Asian Games 2023 and the team has directly qualified for the quarterfinals this time as well. The team's first quarterfinal match will be on September 28.

The team includes experienced wicketkeeper-batsman Liton Das along with Tanzid Hasan Tamim, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Tauhid Hridoy, Mosaddek Hossain Saikat, Yasir Ali, Rishad Hossain, Sheikh Mehdi Hasan, Nasum Ahmed, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shariful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, and Hasan Mahmud.

The return of Shanto and Hasan Mahmud to the team has caught everyone's attention. Shanto has returned to the T20 team after May 2025, when he had not scored a fifty in 19 consecutive innings and had lost the captaincy. Meanwhile, Hasan Mahmud took three wickets in three matches during last year's Pakistan tour.

Liton Das missed the last two T20 series against Zimbabwe and Australia due to a hamstring injury but is now returning as captain. In his absence, the team won the series 2-1 on the Zimbabwe tour.

Shanto recently scored an important half-century in the Darwin Test in Australia, making Bangladesh the third Asian team to win a Test on Australian soil. In the same match, Hasan Mahmud impressed with his bowling and won the Player of the Match award.

Nurul Hasan and Abdul Gaffar Saklain have been excluded from the team, while Nahid Rana is recovering from a side strain.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board considered players' recent performances and fitness in selecting this team.