BCB stays clear of Nigar Sultana Joty's decision not to shake hands with Harmanpreet Kaur

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has distanced itself from Nigar Sultana Joty's decision not to shake hands with India captain Harmanpreet Kaur during the Women's Asia Cup semifinal on September 10.

Since the 2025 men's Asia Cup, Pakistan and India players have avoided shaking hands across both men's and women's competitions. Joty's decision to avoid a handshake with Harmanpreet has now sparked fresh controversy.

Rafiqul Islam Babu, chairman of the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s women’s committee, addressed the matter and described it as Joty's personal choice, adding that the board had no involvement.

"It was her own decision not to shake hands with Harmanpreet," Babu was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz. "We believe sports bring the world together. We want friendly relations with all countries, not only India, and whatever she did was entirely her personal decision."

Joty's future as captain also remains uncertain after Bangladesh’s 40‑run loss to India in the first semifinal of the Women’s Asia Cup. Babu believes the team needs to start beating stronger sides in multi‑nation tournaments, something that has not happened despite repeated opportunities. He said a decision on Joty’s captaincy will be taken after the conclusion of the women’s cricket competition at the Asian Games in Aichi‑Nagoya.

"We have discussed the matter with the board president and, since they are at the Asian Games, we will assess the situation after the tournament," Babu said.

"First, we will see how the team performs at the Asian Games and then decide what needs to be done. There are many shortcomings in the team. We have not been able to beat the bigger teams. We played well in the World Cup but lost because of small mistakes. We are working to make the team stronger and more competitive. After the Asian Games we will decide what can be done."