Incidents involving violence against members of Hindu community in Bangladesh have drawn sustained attention in recent months, with tensions rising further after the killing of two Hindu youths.
These developments spilled over into the sporting sphere as well, particularly cricket. The signing of Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman by Kolkata Knight Riders triggered backlash, including criticism directed at the franchise and its owner.
The situation eventually led to BCCI instructing KKR to release the player.
Soon after, reports emerged suggesting that Bangladesh had conveyed to ICC its reluctance to travel to India for certain T20 World Cup fixtures.
Amid this backdrop, Bangladesh Cricket Board announced its squad, with Liton Das continuing as captain. Clarifications followed that Liton’s leadership role was not a special appointment for the T20 World Cup, as he has already been serving as Bangladesh’s T20I skipper.
Diplomatic and sporting relations between India and Bangladesh have faced strain in recent times, reflected earlier in the postponement of India’s Bangladesh tour, which is now scheduled to take place later this year.
Against this context, attention has also turned to the contribution of Hindu cricketers in Bangladesh’s national team over the years.
Liton Das
Liton Das, a Bengali Hindu, has been a long-standing member of the Bangladesh setup. Making his international debut over a decade ago, he has represented the country in all three formats, featuring in more than 50 Tests, over 90 ODIs, and well above 100 T20 Internationals. He married Debashree Biswas Sonchita in 2019.
Soumya Sarkar
Soumya Sarkar, another Bengali Hindu cricketer, has been a regular across formats for Bangladesh. His international career includes appearances in Tests, ODIs and T20 Internationals, making him one of the more experienced players from this group.
Alok Kapali
Born into a Hindu family, Alok Kapali was among Bangladesh’s early generation of cricketers. He played a significant number of Tests and ODIs, along with a handful of T20 Internationals, during his international career.
Tapash Baisya
Tapash Baisya represented Bangladesh in both Tests and ODIs. While he has not publicly spoken about his religious beliefs, his background has often been associated with the Hindu community.
Dhiman Ghosh
Dhiman Ghosh, a wicketkeeper-batter, featured briefly for Bangladesh in limited-overs cricket, playing several ODIs and a T20 International.
Rony Talukdar
Born in Narayanganj into a Hindu family, Rony Talukdar has represented Bangladesh in white-ball cricket, including one ODI and multiple T20 Internationals.
