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The Bangladesh women’s national cricket team is all set for a major leadership change after the upcoming Asian Games 2026 in Japan. Nigar Sultana has reportedly decided to step down as the Bangladesh women’s national cricket team’s T20I captain following the Asian Games 2026.
Sultana has reportedly informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) about her decision, as she wants to completely focus on Bangladesh’s ODI team. She feels leaving the T20I captaincy would allow her to focus more on her batting and continue leading the ODI side. Earlier, Aakash Chopra launches scathing attack on Mohsin Naqvi after Asia Cup trophy row.
Nigar Sultana set to step down as Bangladesh T20I captain
As reported by Cricbuzz, Nigar Sultana is all set to step down as the Bangladesh women’s national cricket team’s T20I captain after the Asian Games 2026. She has already informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board about her decision and wants to focus more on her batting and wicketkeeping.
However, Nigar wants to continue leading Bangladesh in ODIs. She formally sent her decision to the BCB in a letter from Japan on Tuesday, September 15. Nigar became Bangladesh’s T20I captain in 2022 and has had some memorable moments during her time in charge.
One of the biggest moments came at the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup, when Bangladesh beat Scotland for their first World Cup win in 10 years. Nigar also scored 104 runs in four innings and made seven dismissals as wicketkeeper in the 2024 ICC T20 World Cup.
Nigar Sultana’s remarkable T20I captaincy journey
Later, Bangladesh went unbeaten in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers but later lost a home T20I series 2-1 to Sri Lanka. The team also struggled badly in the tri-series against Scotland and the Netherlands and then managed only two wins from five matches at the World Cup under Nigar’s captaincy.
Nigar Sultana has had a long run as Bangladesh's women’s T20I captain since taking charge in 2022. During this period, she led the team in 80 T20I matches, winning 32 and losing 47, with one match ending without a result. Her win percentage as captain stands at 40.50%.
Nigar Sultana is Bangladesh’s most-capped T20I captain, surpassing former captain Salma Khatun’s 65 matches. She has also played the most T20I matches as captain while also being the team’s wicketkeeper, making her one of the most experienced leaders in women’s T20I cricket. Amid this, Marizanne Kapp withdraws from WBBL 2026; Melbourne Stars re-sign Amy Jones, Dani Gibson.
India ended Bangladesh's Women's Asia Cup 2026 dream
Bangladesh women had a strong run in the Women’s Asia Cup 2026, reaching the semi-finals before their campaign ended against India in Dubai. Bangladesh finished second in Group B and secured a place in the knockout stage, thanks to their big win of 71 runs against Indonesia.
One of their biggest wins came after bowling Indonesia out for just 58 while defending 129. In the semi-final on September 10, Bangladesh struggled during the chase against India’s spin attack after they posted 149/6, with Shafali Verma leading the way with 64 off 40 balls.
They managed only 109/7 in 20 overs, with Shorna Akter top-scoring with an unbeaten 22. India won by 40 runs, ending Bangladesh’s Women’s Asia Cup 2026 journey in Dubai.
