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Why Najmul Shanto Has Dropped Litton Das From Bangladesh's Champions Trophy 2025 Squad?

Akshita Patel∙ Updated: Jan 12 2025, 2:43 PM

Litton Das dropped from Bangladesh's squad for Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @ICC/X.com]Litton Das dropped from Bangladesh's squad for Champions Trophy 2025 [Source: @ICC/X.com]

Bangladesh announced a 15-player squad for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025. However, it came as a shock that seniors like Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan were not included in the Najmul Shanto-led side.

The ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will start from February 19 as Pakistan and UAE will act as joint hosts. With a deadline of squad selection drawing near, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced their 15-player squad on January 12, 2025.

Najmul Shanto still maintains the captaincy despite the rumours that he might resign. The skipper was battling injury issues for a while before the board declared him fit for the ICC event. The team did not feature the big guns like Litton Das and Shakib Al Hasan. Omission of Litton marks a massive overhaul of the Tigers for the biggest ICC event.

Litton Das dropped after poor run in ODIs

The decision to leave out Litton Das stems from his prolonged slump in form. In his last 13 ODI innings, Litton failed to notch a single half-century. Alarmingly, six of his last seven dismissals were for single-digit scores, putting immense pressure on Bangladesh's top order. 

Moreover, Shanto tried his hands at wicket-keeping during the Bangladesh Premier League. Hence, it's likely that the skipper will share the duties of keeping with Mushfiqur Rahim.

However, it appears that the selection committee had focused more on consistency and form rather than reputation. Since they have got a side full of fresh faces and veteran players, they try to balance both experience and reliability.

Shakib has also been a loggerhead with the board for some time now. He had not been playing since the Test series against India. In addition to that, he has not featured in an ODI game since the 2023 World Cup.

Bangladesh's squad for Champions Trophy 2025 

Najmul Hossain Shanto (C), Mushfiqur Rahim (WK), Towhid Hridoy, Soumya Sarkar, Tanzid Hasan, Mahmudullah, Jaker Ali, Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Rishad Hossain, Taskin Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Parvez Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Tanzim Hasan, Nahid Rana