The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially added left-handed opening batsman Soumya Sarkar to the national Twenty20 International (T20I) squad ahead of the upcoming home series against Australia. The administrative update was processed on Tuesday, exactly one day prior to the series opener scheduled to take place on Wednesday in Chittagong.

The BCB did not issue an official explanation regarding the late addition to the roster. However, the decision follows severe injury concerns surrounding the team’s captain and wicketkeeper-batsman, Litton Das.

During the final match of the preceding One Day International (ODI) series in Mirpur, Litton sustained a notable leg injury that forced him to temporarily retire hurt. While he returned to the crease later in the innings to score a half-century—ending a prolonged run-drought in the ODI format—the skipper was visibly limping during physical transitions and ultimately did not take the field to perform his wicketkeeping duties during the Australian innings.

Soumya Sarkar’s Form and Selection Background

Soumya was a member of the ODI setup, participating in two of the three bilateral fixtures against Australia. He entered the starting eleven for the second ODI as a direct replacement for the out-of-form Saif Hassan, contributing a solid 42 runs. However, his performance dropped sharply in the third and final ODI, where he was dismissed for just two runs. Should he receive tactical selection in the upcoming matches, the batsman will be heavily pressured to translate his inclusion into consistent run production.

Following the addition of Soumya, Bangladesh’s T20I roster has been expanded to 16 active players. The national selection panel faces immediate questions regarding top-order coverage, particularly with vice-captain Towhid Hridoy positioned to step forward should Litton fail a late physical assessment before the toss on Wednesday morning.

Bangladesh T20 International Series Squad

The definitive 16-man contingent selected to contest the international T20 series against Australia comprises the following players: