Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has confirmed that Litton Das will lead the national team in T20Is until the T20 World Cup next year. The position was vacant after Najmul Hossain Shanto stepped down, citing a hectic schedule in international cricket as the reason.

Das's first assignment as the full-time T20I captain will be the two-match T20I series against the UAE and then the five-match T20I series against Pakistan, both away from home.

"Litton Das will lead the side until the T20 World Cup next year. For Litton, experience has been an important factor. We don't have many experienced players in the current setup. While there were discussions about his form, we believe he has the potential. If he can organize his game, he'll be an asset to the team," BCB Cricket Operation Chairman Najmul Abedin said.

Meanwhile, it has also been confirmed that Mahedi Hasan will be the vice-captain of Bangladesh's T20I team for the upcoming series in the UAE and Pakistan. However, he has been picked on the experimentation basis and for now, isn't a permanent appointment. "Mahedi is almost an automatic pick in this format. His tactical awareness stood out to us. But this is not a permanent appointment - just for two series. We want to build a future captain under the guidance of the current one," he said.

"Ahead of the World Cup, we'll have the Asia Cup, and bilateral series against Sri Lanka, Pakistan, and India. There will be plenty of chances to experiment. We want to head into the tournament with a performing unit - and Litton will play a key role in that," he said, adding that Litton is expected to take on the No.3 batting position in the T20 lineup, a spot that demands both stability and aggression," BCB Chief Selector Gazi Ashraf Hossain said.

Bangladesh squad for T20Is in UAE and Pakistan: Litton Das (capt), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain, Soumya Sarkar, Najmul Hossain Shanto, Towhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Jaker Ali, Rishad Hossain, Mahedi Hasan (vice-capt), Tanvir Islam, Mustafizur Rahman, Hasan Mahmud, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Nahid Rana and Shoriful Islam.

Bangladesh's schedule for T20I Series vs UAE

1st T20I - May 17 (Saturday) at 8:30 PM IST

2nd T20I - May 19 (Monday) at 8:30 PM IST

Bangladesh's schedule for T20I Series vs Pakistan

1st T20I - May 25 (Sunday) at 8:30 PM IST in Faisalabad

2nd T20I - May 27 (Tuesday) at 8:30 PM IST in Faisalabad

3rd T20I - May 30 (Friday) at 8:30 PM IST in Lahore

4th T20I - June 1 (Sunday) at 8:30 PM IST in Lahore

5th T20I - June 3 (Tuesday) at 8:30 PM IST in Lahore