Litton sees no added pressure as he takes over Rangpur captaincy

Newly appointed Rangpur Riders captain Litton Das has said his immediate focus remains solely on his franchise, insisting that the upcoming T20 World Cup did not factor into his decision to take over the leadership role midway through the Bashundhara Cement Bangladesh Premier League (BPL).

“At the moment, the World Cup is not on my mind,” Litton said. “Since I am playing as part of a franchise, my full dedication will be to my franchise here. When they willingly wanted this, and when a franchise asks you to take on this responsibility, as a player it is my duty to accept it. I believe I have taken the right decision.”

Litton also confirmed that outgoing captain Nurul Hasan Sohan handed over the leadership willingly.

“Yes, we spoke, and he willingly handed over the responsibility to me,” Litton said. “It’s the same thing the coach told you.”

Litton, who has often produced stronger performances while leading sides or keeping wickets, acknowledged that captaincy brings added responsibility but stressed that it would not alter his approach with the bat.

“The effort never falls short. Whenever I have played as a batsman, I have always tried to give 100%. Of course, as a captain there will be more responsibility. At the same time, when I am batting, I am a batsman first. My job is to score runs,” he said.

“Cricket is played on the field. On paper, they are just names,” he said. “On a given day it depends on how successful you are against the opposition and how smartly you play your cricket. That determines the result,” he added.

Despite Rangpur’s inconsistent campaign so far, Litton does not see the timing of his appointment as a major challenge, pointing out that qualification remains within reach.

“If we win one match at the moment, we will qualify for the Super Four. Qualifying for the Super Four is very important for us,” he said. “Then, if we can move forward match by match from there, we obviously have a chance to reach the final. The options are still in our hands.”

Addressing questions about his own form, Litton admitted he has yet to fully meet expectations but rejected suggestions of added pressure due to captaincy.

“There’s no extra pressure. I will try to give 100%,” he said. “The expectations I have of myself, and the expectations everyone else has, I haven’t fully met them yet. But there has never been a lack of effort. I will try to overcome that and contribute something good for Rangpur.”

Rangpur Riders, widely considered one of the strongest teams on paper, have struggled to translate that strength into consistent results. Litton believes narrow defeats and a lack of luck have played a significant role.

He added that two close losses had a major impact on their position in the points table.

“There were two games that we should have won but ended up losing. If we had a bit more luck or played a bit smarter, I think we would have been in the top one or two today,” Litton said.