Bangladesh will feature in the Men’s Asia Cup Hockey 2025 after being invited to replace Pakistan, who withdrew for political reasons. The late inclusion has been seen by the Bangladesh Hockey Federation (BHF) as a blessing in disguise, giving its junior players crucial exposure ahead of the Junior World Cup later this year in India.
BHF general secretary Lt. Col. (retd) Riazul Hasan confirmed that the team is rushing to complete visa formalities before travelling to Rajgir, Bihar, by August 26. The tournament begins on August 29 and runs until September 7.
The boys went for biometrics today. If you talk about practice, it’s nil. But we are happy that we have been given a chance to play.
Qualification twist opens the door
Bangladesh were the highest-ranked reserve team after finishing third at the AHF Cup earlier this year. With Pakistan withdrawing due to strained political relations with India, the Asian Hockey Federation extended an invitation to Bangladesh. Kazakhstan, who finished fourth at the AHF Cup, will also participate. They have replaced Oman, the other qualifier from the AHF Cup, who have pulled out because of financial constraints.
Junior-heavy squad and internal disputes
Coach Moshiur Rahman has been handed charge in the absence of head coach Mamun Ur Rashid, who led the team at the AHF Cup. Rahman admitted he was surprised by the sudden call-up but said he was ready to take on the challenge.
I don’t know anything about that. I was with the junior team when suddenly this opportunity arrived and the federation asked me to look after the team. I am following those instructions. I will travel with the team as the head coach.
The squad includes eight promising junior players who are likely to feature in the Junior World Cup. Their inclusion, however, sparked murmurs after senior captain Pushkar Kisha Mimo was left out.
Mimo not being there is purely based on fitness and selection trials, nothing else. Whatever disputes were there have been resolved.
Veteran defender Rezaul Karim Babu (82 caps) will captain the side, with Mohammad Ashraful Islam (64 caps) as vice-captain.
Challenging draw for Bangladesh
Ranked 29th in the world, Bangladesh enter the Asia Cup as one of the underdogs, ahead only of Kazakhstan (81st) and Chinese Taipei (38th). They have been drawn in Pool B alongside Malaysia (12th), Korea (13th), and Chinese Taipei (38th). Bangladesh will play their opening match against Malaysia on August 29. Pool A features hosts India (7th), Japan (18th), China (23rd), and Kazakhstan.
Recent form: Encouraging but inconsistent
Bangladesh impressed at the AHF Cup, winning all four of their group games before losing a high-scoring semifinal to Oman. They bounced back to defeat Kazakhstan in the third-place playoff.
Beat Kazakhstan 5-1
Beat Indonesia 3-2
Beat Thailand 2-1
Beat Sri Lanka 5-0
Lost to Oman 4-5 (semifinal)
Beat Kazakhstan 3-0 (3rd place match)
Building towards the Junior World Cup
Despite limited preparation, BHF believes the Asia Cup will be an invaluable learning curve. “The selection of eight junior players is purely keeping the Junior World Cup in mind, so that they get exposure against top Asian nations,” Hasan stressed.
Squad at a glance
Goalkeepers: Biplob Kujur, Nuruzzaman Noyon; Defenders: Rezaul Karim Babu (c), Mohammad Ashraful Islam (vc), Forhad Ahmed Situl, Sohanur Rahman Sabuj, Hozzaifa Hossain, Amirul Islam, Mohammad Mehedi Hasan; Midfielders: Mohammad Roman Sarkar, Mohammad Fazle Hossain Rabbi, Al Nahiyan Shuvo, Taiyeb Ali, Tanvir Rahman Siam; Forwards: Obaidul Hossain Joy, Mohammad Rakibul Hasan, Mohammad Arshad Hossain, Mohammad Abdullah; Standby: Mohammad Shahidur Rahman Saju
