Joty set to leave T20I captaincy after Asian Games

Bangladesh women’s team skipper Nigar Sultana Joty’s decision to step away from the T20I captaincy after the Asian Games surprised some Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials today, who were asked to confirm the development.

Most of them soon found out that Joty had sent an email to the board notifying it of her decision, although the reasons behind it remained vague to those in charge.

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Some officials suggested that recent media reports may have contributed to her decision. There has been scrutiny of Joty’s captaincy, especially after the manner of the Tigresses’ Asia Cup campaign, which ended with a disappointing semifinal loss to India.

“She has informed us that she will not be staying on as T20I captain after the Asian Games, but she will continue as captain in the 50-over format,” BCB women’s wing chairman Rafiqul Babu told The Daily Star today.

The news comes at a time when the Tigresses are in Japan preparing for the start of their Asian Games campaign on September 17.

“I think there was a lot of scrutiny and maybe she decided it was the best option. Personally, we have not seen anything that showed there was any discontent within the side,” a team management source told The Daily Star.

Joty led Bangladesh in 80 T20Is since assuming the role during the 2022 Commonwealth Games. Under her leadership, the Tigresses have won 32 T20Is, including their first victory in a T20I World Cup game in 10 years, against Scotland in 2024.

She has played 132 T20Is and has been leading the ODI side since 2021.

Recent results, however, have not gone the Tigresses’ way despite some positive performances at the 2026 T20 World Cup, where they secured wins against the Netherlands and Pakistan, matching their best-ever result in the tournament.

Bangladesh also won the T20 World Cup Qualifiers unbeaten in February this year under Joty’s captaincy. However, a home series loss to Sri Lanka, poor results in a recent tri-nation series involving the Netherlands and Scotland, and two wins in five matches at the T20 World Cup before the disappointing Asia Cup campaign saw her come under scrutiny.

The pressure was also building around the team’s batting performances. Joty remains Bangladesh’s leading T20I run-scorer, with 2,709 runs at an average of 27.36 and a strike rate of 93.34, including 13 fifties and a century.

Although Joty’s successor as T20I captain is yet to be announced, the priority must be to address Bangladesh’s biggest problem in the format: surpassing or chasing down targets of 150 and batting at a higher strike rate. Those shortcomings were among the reasons behind their dismal Asia Cup campaign.