Several cricketers have made serious allegations against Bangladesh women’s cricket team captain Nigar Sultana Jyoti. Speaking on condition of anonymity, one national team cricketer described Jyoti’s conduct as “autocratic.” “She isn’t a captain, she’s an autocrat. Go against what she says, or offer a different opinion, and you face her wrath,” the player said.
Another cricketer alleged that Jyoti’s excessive shouting and behaviour left her mentally broken.
She said: “In one match, the captain started shouting before the ball even reached me. I got flustered and missed it. Then she abused me in the foulest language. It’s not just that — the way she mentally torments people off the field too, I sometimes pray to God about it. I ask for a curse to fall on her.”
There are allegations that Jyoti’s harsh conduct left several team cricketers so distressed that they prayed to God, seeking a curse against her.
Jyoti became captain of the Bangladesh women’s team in 2021. According to those making the allegations, within a year to eighteen months of taking charge, she began building her own sphere of influence — sidelining experienced cricketers and bringing in new face after new face, while allegedly keeping them within a specific inner circle.
The dressing room atmosphere then gradually turned toxic, according to those associated with the team. There are even allegations of physical altercations and abusive language, with some of these incidents reportedly going as far as informal arbitration.
At the last ODI World Cup, spinner Jannatul Ferdous Sumona’s exclusion also drew considerable discussion. Multiple sources close to the team claimed at the time that Jyoti played a role in keeping off-spinner Sumona out of the World Cup squad.
Sumona had been drawing attention for a long time through her performance and sharpness. According to those making the allegations, she was seen as a potential threat and removed from the team as a result.
There are also allegations that Jyoti has recently begun viewing a young all-rounder on the team as a threat. Sources claim a rift has developed between the captain and that cricketer in recent times.
There are also claims that pace bowler Jahanara Alam was at one point forced to leave the country to protect her self-respect amid Jyoti’s unchecked dominance and the mental pressure that came with it.
A former national team captain, speaking on condition of anonymity, said: “Captaincy on the field and off it are different things. There are certain things she has done that she didn’t need to. That includes forming a syndicate with the then selector-cum-manager, Monju bhai [Monzurul Islam, now banned], right after becoming captain. That, in my view, wasn’t the right thing for her to do.”
He added: “She kept benching senior players one after another and brought in juniors who would listen to her or obey her. There are even cases where newcomers who hadn’t even made their debut were brought into the team on her word. A team can never become balanced that way. At some point, that will show. What’s happening now is exactly that reflection. She got what she wanted — everyone falling in line out of fear or obedience — but the performance on the field is gone. That old cricket isn’t there anymore.”