Bangladesh names 16-player preliminary squad for South Asian Youth Table Tennis

The Bangladesh Table Tennis Federation has completed the preliminary selection of the top 8 players in the U-19 and U-15 categories in a five-day round-robin at Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Indoor Stadium for the preparation of the South Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship 2026. The preliminary 16-player squad represents the immediate shortlist ahead of a second and final selection set for February 26-27.

Selection organisers reported the process ran in a round-robin league system and drew from a pool initially described as 32 contenders. The announcement states that "Out of the 32 players, a total of 24 players have been nominated in the tournament, including 17 from BKSP, 3 from Rangpur District Sports Association, 2 from Bangladesh Army, 1 from District Police and 1 from Green TT." Those institutional figures underline BKSP’s dominance, with 17 nominated players linked to Bangladesh Krira Shikkha Protishtan.

Four players were singled out as top performers during the preliminary phase. The release names Md. Nafiz Iqbal, Khoi Khoi Sai Marma, Md. Mridul Rahman and Jannat Islam Roja and adds, "All 4 of these are BKSP table tennis students." Headline lines from the selection coverage identify Nafiz and Khoi Khoi as U-19 title clinchers and Mridul and Roja as U-15 champions, with the summary line reading "Nafiz-Khoi Khoi Marma clinches U-19 TT title" and "Mridul-Roja becomes champion in U-15."

The report preserves variant name spellings used during the selections: Khoi Khoi appears as Khoi Khoi Sai Marma, Khoi Khoi Marma and the shorter form Khai Khai in different places. The selection bulletin also records that "Nafiz, Khai Khai and Roja achieved the honor of becoming undefeated champions in the 1st selection," marking them out as the unbeaten performers from the initial round-robin.

Additional U-19 boys named among the selected group include Abul Hashem Hasib, Tahmidur Rahman Shakib, Mahtabur Rahman Mahi, Md. Monirul Islam and Md. Joy Islam, listed verbatim in the selection notice as "The remaining selected players for the U-19 boys are: Abul Hashem Hasib, Tahmidur Rahman Shakib, Mahtabur Rahman Mahi, Md. Monirul Islam and Md. Joy Islam."

The announcement also makes numerical claims that require operational clarification: the document lists a preliminary 16-player squad (top eight in each age group) while separately stating that 24 players have been nominated out of 32 participants. The materials available do not define how the 32, the 24 nominated and the preliminary 16 relate to one another.

Looking ahead, organisers state plainly that "The national team for the tournament will be announced after the second and final selection on February 26-27." That final selection window is the next milestone before Bangladesh names its travelling squad for the South Asian Youth Table Tennis Championship 2026.