Bangladesh unveil Litton Das as new T20I captain for UAE and Pakistan series

Wicketkeeper batter Litton Das has been appointed as the new T20I captain of Bangladesh ahead of their upcoming seven-match tour of the UAE and Pakistan in May and June 2025. Off-spinner Mahedi Hasan will serve as his deputy during the tour.

This announcement comes after Najmul Hossain Shanto stepped down from the T20I captaincy earlier this year in January.

Litton will lead the team first time in a regular role as he has previously led the team in one Test, seven ODIs and four T20Is. Notably, he captained the side during their 3-0 series win over West Indies last December when Shanto was out with a hamstring injury.

In an Instagram post by ICC, Najmul Abedin, Head coach for Bangladesh, said, "Litton Das will lead the side until the T20 World Cup next year. For Litton, experience has been an important factor. We don't have many experienced players in the current setup".

Recently, Litton was sidelined from the Pakistan Super League (PSL) 2025 due to a finger injury he picked up during training. He has since recovered and is fit to lead the team.

In addition to the captaincy change, Bangladesh have recalled five players to their 16-member T20I squad, including Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, and Shoriful Islam. Hridoy returns after missing the West Indies tour due to injury, while Mustafizur had taken time off for personal reasons.

Meanwhile, some familiar names have been left out of the squad, including Afif Hossain, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Ripon Mondol, and Taskin Ahmed.

Taskin is currently recovering from an ankle injury, and Mehidy’s exclusion came as a surprise, as he had been part of the team’s leadership group in recent months.

Bangladesh will begin their tour with two T20IS against the UAE in Sharjah on May 17 and 19. They will then head to Pakistan for a five-match T20I series, starting May 25 and ending June 3.

Litton Das (C), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan (VC), Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana, and Shoriful Islam.