Nigar Sultana’s unexpected resignation as Bangladesh’s T20I captain following the Asian Games has surprised the Bangladesh Cricket Board, with officials acknowledging they are uncertain about the reasons behind her abrupt decision.
The announcement came while the team was competing in the Asian Games, just two days before Bangladesh’s opening match against China on September 17. Sultana stated that her goal was to focus on her batting and wicketkeeping while still leading the ODI team, which led her to step down as T20I captain.
Rafiqul Islam Babu, chairman of the BCB women’s wing, stated on Wednesday that the board had received Nigar’s email and would deliberate on the issue, making a decision about next steps after the team returns from the Asian Games.
Cricbuzz states Rafiqul said, “I honestly don’t know why she suddenly decided to step down (from T20I captaincy). The player does not feel comfortable and expressed a desire to focus more on batting and wicketkeeping, wishing to stay in the 50-over format while stepping away from T20s, an email was sent regarding this matter.”
He further added, “The decision taken before the Asian Games leaves me both embarrassed and deeply disappointed. If there were any issues or problems in that case I could have been informed after the team returned from the tournament. We could have reached a decision together. Tamim (Iqbal) and I will discuss and decide once they return. After they get back from the Asian Games, we will figure out the best way forward.”
A major milestone during Sultana’s captaincy was Bangladesh’s win over Scotland at the 2024 T20 World Cup, marking their first World Cup title in ten years. At that tournament, Sultana scored 104 runs over four innings and took seven wickets while acting as wicketkeeper. Earlier in 2026, Bangladesh emerged as unbeaten champions in the World Cup qualifiers, but their performance afterwards lacked consistency.
In April-May 2026, the team lost a three-match home series to Sri Lanka, then had inconsistent results in the Scotland-Netherlands tri-series and won two of their five matches at the World Cup. These results had drawn scrutiny on Sultana’s leadership in the shortest format. As of September 15, 2026, no successor has been announced, and the BCB has not disclosed a public timeline for appointing a new T20I captain.
