Bangladesh Captain Nigar Sultana Joty Breaks Silence on Assault Allegations, Takes Subtle Dig at Harmanpreet Kaur

Bangladesh women’s cricket captain Nigar Sultana Joty has publicly denied allegations that she physically assaulted junior teammates, pushing back strongly against claims made by senior pacer Jahanara Alam. In doing so, she also took a swipe at India captain Harmanpreet Kaur, referencing the 2023 incident in which Harmanpreet smashed the stumps and criticised umpiring during India’s tour of Bangladesh.

“Why would I hit anyone? Why would I strike the stumps with my bat? Am I Harmanpreet, that I would go around hitting the stumps like that?” Joty said in an interview with Daily Cricket. “In my own space, I may bang my bat or hit my helmet — that’s my business. But why would I get physical with someone else?”

Joty has come under intense scrutiny after Jahanara, currently living in Australia, alleged that junior players had contacted her claiming they were being hit and mistreated by the Bangladesh skipper.

Joty, however, dismissed the claims as baseless.

“If I really harmed someone, is there no team management, no manager, no coaching staff? Am I the ultimate authority?” she asked. “Why would a player call someone living in Australia? They could have spoken to anyone here.”

The controversy comes on the heels of Bangladesh’s disappointing Women’s World Cup 2025 campaign, where they registered only one win — against Pakistan. India, led by Harmanpreet Kaur, eventually lifted the trophy.

Joty said her character was being unfairly maligned. “The way I’ve been portrayed — I’m not that kind of girl at all,” she said.

Jahanara had claimed that juniors contacted her from Bangladesh saying, “Please save us, Joty apu is beating us,” but the Bangladesh captain insists no such incident ever took place and urged critics to verify the claims with other team members.