Bangladesh cricketers to skip T20I series vs Zimbabwe [Source: AFP]In a significant setback, Bangladesh will be playing against Zimbabwe in a T20I series without their senior stars Litton Das and Taskin Ahmed. The duo will instead be playing in a franchise league.Bangladesh will be touring Zimbabwe next month for a multi-format series. After a solo Test match, the two teams will compete in a 3-game ODI and T20I series as well.While the Test and ODI series will be played in Harare, Bulawayo has been selected to host the T20I leg of the lengthy tour.Bangladesh stars to skip Zimbabwe series for LPLInterestingly, ahead of the Zimbabwe series, Bangladesh T20I captain Litton Das and fast bowler Taskin Ahmed have been granted permission to participate in the Lanka Premier League (LPL 2026).The BCB issued No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to both players, allowing them to join their respective franchises instead of featuring in Bangladesh's three-match T20I series against Zimbabwe. BCB cricket operations in-charge Shahriar Nafees confirmed that the duo will not be part of the T20I squad because of their LPL commitments. Apart from Litton Das and Taskin, Mehidy Hasan, Hasan Mahmud and Shakib Al Hasan are also cleared to feature in the LPL 2026 edition. Naturally, all these players are unlikely to feature in the Zimbabwe T20I series.Bangladesh tour of Zimbabwe will begin on June 28 with the one-off Test followed by the ODI series and then the T20I series.Also Read - Shoriful Islam, 2 More Bangladesh Stars, Make Major ICC Rankings GainsLitton Das likely to recover from muscle injuryHaving said that, Litton Das was already unavailable for Bangladesh's ongoing T20I series against Australia due to a muscle tear injury. However, he is expected to recover in time for Bangladesh's one-off Test match against Zimbabwe.After that, he will return to Bangladesh to represent Galle Marvels in the LPL alongside teammate Mehidy Hasan. On the other hand, Taskin will also skip the T20I series but remains expected to feature in the ODI squad for Zimbabwe, depending on his selection. In the LPL, Taskin will play for Jaffna Kings, where he will be joined by veteran all-rounder Shakib Al Hasan.Bangladesh lost the T20I series vs AustraliaMeanwhile, back on the field, Bangladesh lost the T20I series against Australia after the latter beat the former in the second game to take an unassailable 2-0 lead in the 3-game series.In the 2nd T20I, Australia posted a solid total of 196 runs after Matt Renshaw blasted 89* off 52 balls while Tim David contributed with 45 off 26 balls. Meanwhile, in the chase, Bangladesh fell short of just 7 runs.Tanzid Tamim, Saif Hassan, Parvez Emon and Towhid Hridoy made small contributions but couldn’t cross the finish line. The series finale will now be held on June 21 at the Chattogram Stadium.Also Read - KL Rahul Frontrunner To Become Delhi Capitals Captain For IPL 2027
