Bangladesh skipper Nigar Sultana talks to her team during the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 warm up match against New Zealand. | Photo Credit: Getty Images

Bangladesh is set to feature in its seventh Women’s T20 World Cup when it takes to the field in the 2026 edition being hosted in England and Wales.

The Tigresses are placed in Group A alongside six-time champion Australia, India, South Africa, Pakistan, and the Netherlands. They will kick off their campaign against the Dutch on June 14.

Here’s a more detailed look at Bangladesh’s 15-member squad selected for this edition, a group which has a mix of experienced shoulders and young minds:

Nigar Sultana Joty (c)

The fiery captain’s reputation precedes her. For the most, at least as seen in last year’s ODI World Cup, Joty can chide her players and motivate them in sharp Bangla, all within an over. Moreover recently, she was mired in controversy after her once senior teammate Jahanara Alam levelled allegations at Joty of being physically abusive with players, allegations which were refuted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Nonetheless, the 28-year-old will be leading the side for a third-consecutive T20 World Cup, and the team will certainly look at her for runs from the middle order. With over 2500 runs from more than 120 matches, Joty has been the source of stability coming into this tournament. In a recent warm-up match, she remained unbeaten on almost a run-a-ball 32 against New Zealand. But she showed her ability to strike at her higher rates during the Tri-Nation series against Scotland and the Netherlands, scoring 58 (47) and and 77 (51) respectively.

Nahida Akter (vc)

The left-arm spinner, who’s quite handy with the bat as well, has been around for a while. In 2015, Nahida became Bangladesh’s youngest ODI debutant at 14 years, 336 days. Since then, she’s been a mainstay of the side’s white-ball setups. A product of Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan — the country’s national sports institute from where many of the current crop have honed their skills — Nahida boasts of an enviable economy rate of 5.87 in a T20I career spanning over 100 matches.

Sharmin Akter Supta

The top-order batter is more suited to ODIs, as her stats suggest. She has played 56 matches in the longer white-ball format, compared to her 33 outings in the shorter one. Supta can be considered as an accumulator, holding the fort down at the other end when a slightly more explosive batter is partnering her. While her strike rate of 84.02 is poor as per modern standards, the 30-year-old’s experience could come into play when faced with a collapse.

Sobhana Mostary

Although just 24, this will be Mostary’s sixth World Cup — fourth T20 showpiece. Having debuted for the national team at just 16, and being welcomed by the unfettered pace of Marizanne Kapp and Shabnim Ismail, the batter has been tried and tested in different positions in the order. With 61 T20Is under her belt and 35 runs short of a 1000 runs in the format, Mostary thrives at No. 3, having scored 429 runs there, but her strike rate rises to over 120 — her highest in any position — at No. 5.

Shorna Akter

The 19-year-old has risen up the ranks of the national team with leaps and bounds. It first began when she was part of the Bangladesh side for the Under-19 Women’s T20 World Cup in 2023. There, she amassed 153 runs at a smashing strike rate of 157.73, highest amongst the top-10 run-getters in the edition. She was the only Bangladesh player named in the Team of the Tournament. Moreover at last year’s ODI World Cup, Shorna displayed her pinch-hitting skills against South Africa where she remained unbeaten on 51 off 35. With the ball too, she can snare wickets with her leg spin.

Ritu Moni

A veteran of Bangladesh women’s cricket, Moni has played 89 T20Is and taken 43 wickets at a miserly economy of 5.95. With her medium pace, she’s known to sniff out crucial wickets and provide breakthroughs. Interestingly, she’s quite a threat to right-handers, having removed 42 of them from her career haul.

Rabeya Khan

Another youngster who made her debut in her teens, Rabeya provides consistent wicket-taking moments, having taken 49 wickets in her 49 T20Is. The leggie broke on to the scene on her debut in 2019 when she took four wickets against Nepal and conceded just eight runs. Bowling with an economy of 5.59, the 21-year-old will hope to turn the ball on these English tracks.

Fahima Khatun

It’s yet another tournament which will quite possibly be blessed by Fahima’s colourful celebrations. These spurts of excessive joy, and competitiveness, come out of the 33-year-old after taking a wicket or a catch, as she has explained in the past. With over 100 T20Is in her kitty, she’s taken 67 wickets at an economy of 5.85. However, she’s not been amongst the first names on the playing XI in recent matches, perhaps the management opting for a Rabeya. But when called on, Fahima does have tricks up her sleeves that she can conjure up, and right after, break into a dance like no one’s watching.

Fariha Islam Trisna

The left-arm pacer has been part of Bangladesh’s T20I set-up since late 2022. Trisna impressed on her debut, picking three wickets against Malaysia. Moreover, a highlight of her career so far has to be the four-wicket haul she picked against Australia, accounting for Phoebe Litchfield, Ellyse Perry, Sophie Molineux, and Beth Mooney. The last three scalps were a hat-trick, showcasing the pacer’s ability to swing the ball both ways.

Marufa Akter

Marufa is Bangladesh’s trump card with the ball. Her prodigious swing offers the side the chance to pick some wickets in the PowerPlay and get a slight advantage. She came into the limelight during last year’s ODI World Cup where she showed her skill and took six wickets. A fan of Australian great Mitchell Starc, Marufa’s cricketing career was staring at an abrupt end during the COVID-19 pandemic, when she was seen ploughing the field — something she was used to doing since childhood in Bangladesh. With guidance from player-turned-coach Arifa Jahan Bithi and learnings from the Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan, Marufa already has the makings on a pace ace, and the Tigresses will hope she comes good, yet again, at a World Cup.

Shanjida Akther Maghla

Another one of Bangladesh’s spinners with a terrific economy (5.26), Maghla has 26 wickets in 26 matches. Moreover, this will be her first T20 World Cup and she hopes to do well for her team and nation. “Since its T20Is, the pitches will be batting-friendly. I’ll try to have some pace on the ball and maintain line and length while bowling,” the left-arm spinner, who wishes to be the most economical bowler for her team, said in a recent video posted by the Bangladesh Cricket Board.

Sultana Khatun

Sultana provides variety with her off-break bowling. This will be her second T20 World Cup after she was part of the 2024 team. However, she didn’t get a game. This time around, she will hope that her recent performances, especially against Sri Lanka where she even recorded her best bowling figures of 3/8 earns her a match.

Dilara Akter

The wicketkeeper-batter is someone who has been backed by the selectors in this format, at least since 2024 when she was brought back into the team in place of the experienced Fargana Hoque. Dilara has shown promise, especially since she notched up her maiden fifty against the Netherlands in a Tri-Series.

Juairiya Ferdous

Another wicketkeeper-batter, although up and coming, Ferdous’ tryst with the senior team began just this year where she’s already played 14 matches, racking up 230 runs at a strike rate over 110. She even showed being in good nick in the two warm-up matches against Ireland and New Zealand, scoring 50 (38) and 26 (15) respectively. Interestingly, cricket isn’t the first sport she chose to play. A daughter to a physical education teacher, Ferdous grew up watching her mother train students in a number of disciplines. She has represented Bangladesh in hockey and even won a gold in shot put at the Bangladesh Youth Games.

Taj Nehar

The middle-order batter hasn’t had the best starts to her T20I career. Since 2024, she’s featured in nine matches, scoring just 48 runs. She was brought back into the team ahead of the World Cup in place of Sarmin Sultana. The decision, the selectors said, was because of Nehar’s versatility and her ability to score quickly in the death.

Published on Jun 13, 2026