Cricket Australia announced their squad for the three-match T20I series vs Bangladesh beginning in Chattogram on June 17.
Published: June 11, 2026, 3:50 PM IST
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Australia all-rounder Nikhil Chaudhary. (Source: X)
Bangladesh vs Australia 2026 T20: Cricket Australia announced their squad for the upcoming three-match series against Bangladesh beginning in Chattogram next week. For the first time in 60 years of international cricket, history is set to be created as the Aussies have called up their first India-born cricketer Nikhil Chaudhary for the three-match T20I series beginning on June 17.
Chaudhary, who is a spin bowling all-rounder for Hobart Hurricanes in Big Bash League, holds a Permanent Residency of Australia. The last India-born cricketer to play for Australia was Rex Sellars, who was born in Gujarat and turned out in the 1964 Kolkata Test vs Team India.
The 30-year-old all-rounder has been playing for JB Bruges in the EUT20 competition in Belgium and was with the Delhi Capitals in the recent IPL 2026 as well. He will join the Australian squad after the ODI series gets over in Dhaka.
“The panel has been impressed by his BBL form, particularly last season, leading to his addition to the squad,” selector Tony Dodemaide was quoted as saying.
“Nikhil will gain invaluable experience in Bangladesh and will be in contention to play his first game for Australia when we sit down to pick a team for the opening T20 fixture here next week,” he added.
Before Chaudhary, Australian side has featured plenty of Indian-origin cricketers like Gurinder Sandhu and Tanveer Sangha, both of them were not born in India. Former Australia women team cricketer Lisa Sthalekar, who was born in Pune, played women’s cricket for Australia and is counted among the greats of the game. Sthalekar debuted in 2003 and went on to play across formats till 2013.
Chaudhary has not got Australian citizenship yet but being a ‘permanent resident’, he ‘fulfils the International Cricket Council’s eligibility criteria to play for his adopted nation’. The Delhi-born player turned out for 14 List A games for Punjab in India.
He was visiting an uncle in Queensland when his stay was extended thanks to a COVID-19 enforced shutdown in 2020. While in Australia, Chaudhary is believed to have taken up odd jobs, including being a postman before catching the eye of former Australia all-rounder James Hopes, who initiated him into local cricket. Hopes was the assistant coach of Punjab Kings team in IPL as well.
Chaudhary was instrumental in Hobart Hurricanes winning the BBL-14 title and he notched up 307 runs at an average of 30.7 for his franchise at a strike-rate of 153. His bowling was limited in the season as spin-bowling all-rounders Rehan Ahmed and Rishad Hossain had joined the side.
Australia T20I squad for Bangladesh series
Mitchell Marsh (c), Xavier Bartlett, Nikhil Chaudhary, Cooper Connolly, Tim David, Joel Davies, Nathan Ellis, Cameron Green, Aaron Hardie, Travis Head, Josh Inglis, Spencer Johnson, Matthew Kuhnemann, Riley Meredith, Josh Philippe, Matthew Renshaw, Adam Zampa.
