Bangladesh Name Final 18 for Asian Champions Trophy as Gerhard Rach Gets His Say
Bangladesh aren’t in Jalandhar to make up the numbers, even if everyone else has them down as the underdogs. Their final 18 for the Asian Champions Trophy is out, and it carries the fingerprints of a coach who only just walked back through the door.
German coach Gerhard Peter Rach returned to lead Bangladesh after his previous contract ended following the Asian Games, and he picked the final squad after a nine-day training camp at the Maulana Bhasani Hockey Stadium in Dhaka. He started with a 26-man preliminary group and cut it to 18, and he wasn’t shy about making changes.
Three players from the Asian Games squad are out: Shahidur Rohman Saju, Deen Islam Emon and Mainul Islam. Three are in: Md Abdullah, Abed Uddin and Tayab Ali. That’s a coach backing his own judgement over reputation, and it sets the tone for a tournament where Bangladesh will need to be brave.
The full 18: Ashraful Haque Shad, Biplob Kujur, Amirul Islam, Rezaul Karim Babu, Shohanur Rahman Sobuj, Hozifa Hossain, Roman Sarkar, Tayab Ali, Khaled Mhamud Rakin, Md Abdullah, Rakibul Hasan Rocky, Pushkar Khisa Mimo, Farhad Ahmed Shitul, Mahbub Hossain, Obidul Hossain Joy, Ashraful Islam, Abed Uddin and Rashel Mahmud Jimmy.
Roman Sarkar’s experience will matter most. He’s the name opponents will know, and in a short tournament against India, Malaysia, Japan, South Korea and China, Bangladesh need their senior players to hold the shape when the pressure comes, because it will come in waves.
Let’s be honest about how Bangladesh got here. They finished seventh at the Asian Games and missed direct qualification, then got the call as a reserve team after Pakistan withdrew. Nobody in that dressing room will care how the door opened. They hosted this tournament’s sixth edition in Dhaka back in December 2021, so the Champions Trophy isn’t new territory for them, even if this field is a step up from anything they’ve faced lately.
The opener could hardly be tougher. Bangladesh face hosts and defending champions India in Jalandhar on Tuesday 27 October at 6:30 PM PKT, after the opening ceremony. India are Asian Games gold medallists, playing at home, and they will expect to win comfortably. For Bangladesh, that’s actually the perfect place to start: no pressure, nothing to lose, and a chance to show Rach’s side can stay organised against the best team in Asia. If they can keep that one respectable, the rest of the week gets a lot more interesting.
Related links:
https://sportscursor.com/asian-champions-trophy-2026-two-days-out-india-bangladesh-opener-25-october-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/sreejesh-fulton-india-act-2026-full-strength-squad/
https://sportscursor.com/japan-arrive-mohali-first-team-asian-champions-trophy-2026/
https://sportscursor.com/live/
