Violence against Hindus in Bangladesh and IPL controversies highlight Hindu players like Liton Das, Soumya Sarkar, and their role in cricket.

In recent months, incidents of violence against members of Bangladesh’s Hindu community have garnered a lot of attention, and tensions have increased since two Hindu youths were killed.

Cricket in particular was affected by these changes in the sports world. When the Kolkata Knight Riders signed Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, there was a backlash that included criticism of the team and its owner.

In the end, the BCCI ordered KKR to release the player.

Reports soon surfaced indicating that Bangladesh had informed the ICC of its unwillingness to travel to India for specific T20 World Cup matches.

With Liton Das still serving as captain, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced its team against this backdrop. Thereafter, it was clarified that Liton’s leadership position was not a special appointment for the T20 World Cup because he had previously been captaining Bangladesh in T20I.

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India and Bangladesh’s diplomatic and athletic ties have been strained recently, as evidenced by the earlier postponement of India’s trip of Bangladesh, which is now set for later this year.

In light of this, focus has also shifted to the role that Hindu cricket players have played over the years for Bangladesh’s national side.

Das Liton

A longtime member of the Bangladesh setup is Liton Das, a Bengali Hindu. He has played for the nation in all three forms since making his debut more than ten years ago, appearing in more than fifty Test matches, more than ninety ODIs, and more than 100 T20 Internationals. In 2019, he wed Debashree Biswas Sonchita.

Sarkar Soumya

Another Bengali Hindu cricket player who has played regularly for Bangladesh in all formats is Soumya Sarkar. He is one of the more seasoned players in this group, having played in Tests, ODIs, and T20 Internationals during his international career.

Kapali Alok

Alok Kapali was one of the first cricket players from Bangladesh to be born into a Hindu family. Throughout his international career, he participated in a sizable amount of Tests, ODIs, and a few T20 Internationals.

Baisya Tapash

Bangladesh was represented by Tapash Baisya in both ODIs and Tests. His heritage has frequently been linked to the Hindu community, even though he has not openly discussed his religious views.

Ghosh Dhiman

The wicketkeeper-batter Dhiman Ghosh made a brief appearance for Bangladesh in limited-overs cricket, participating in a T20 International and multiple ODIs.

Talukdar Rony

Rony Talukdar, who was born into a Hindu household in Narayanganj, has played white-ball cricket for Bangladesh, appearing in several T20 Internationals and one ODI.