Bangladesh announce squad for T20 World Cup 2026, Taskin Ahmed returns

Bangladesh announced their 15-member squad for the T20 World Cup 2026 on Sunday, January 4. Star batter Litton Das will lead the Bangla Tigers in the 20-team tournament to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. Saif Hassan has been named as the vice captain.

Fast bowler Taskin Ahmed returned to the fold after missing the home series against Ireland in November-December 2025 due to his ILT20 commitment with Sharjah Warriorz. The right-armer will be ably supported by an experienced pace battery including Mohammed Shaifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib.

Wicketkeeper-batters Jaker Ali and Mahidul Islam Ankon missed the cut, not having retained their spots. Surprisingly, Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto was not selected either despite being on a run-scoring spree in the BPL (203 runs from four innings with a highest score of 101*).

The batting will be led by the skipper himself and will need crucial support from Parvez Hossain Emon and Tanzid Hasan. Talking of the spinners, the line-up includes a good mix in the form of Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, and Nasum Ahmed.

Bangladesh are placed in Group C with West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy. They begin their campaign on the opening day of the tournament on February 7 against the Caribbean side at Eden Gardens, Kolkata.

First-time qualifiers Italy will be their next opponent two days later on February 9 followed by England on February 14. Both of these matches will be played in Kolkata itself. The team will move to Mumbai for their last league match against Nepal on February 17.

Bangladesh have been a fairly strong opposition in the T20 World Cups over the years. Though the results have not gone their way on many occasions the team has displayed immense potential in the last few editions. Incidentally, the Tigers failed to go past the Super 8 stage in the previous T20 World Cup in the Caribbean and the USA in 2024.

Squad

Litton Das (C), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shaif Uddin, Shoriful Islam