British-Bangladeshi Anisa Khan has been appointed captain of the England women’s national kabaddi team. She is set to make her debut as captain at the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, which begins in India next week.
After making a name for herself in the business and television worlds, the young British-Bangladeshi woman with roots in Moulvibazar has taken on a new responsibility in international sports.
Anisa herself announced the news of her appointment as captain on social media. Her father, Yawar Khan, also confirmed the development to Prothom Alo. He said the appointment of Anisa as captain of the England women's kabaddi team had recently been announced.
Expressing her excitement over the new responsibility, Anisa wrote on social media, “I’m officially Captain of the England Women’s Kabaddi Team. I joined my university kabaddi society in 2017 as a complete beginner. I never imagined trying a new sport would lead me here.
“Next week, I’m flying to India to lead an incredible group of women at the Commonwealth Championships, and I couldn’t be prouder,” she added
Family roots in Moulvibazar
Anisa Khan's ancestral home is in Akua village of Rajnagar upazila in Moulvibazar district. Her father, Yawar Khan, moved from Bangladesh to the United Kingdom in 1973. He initially ran a restaurant business before moving into the property business. Yawar Khan is the founder of the UK's Asian Curry Awards. Anisa is the youngest of four siblings.
Raised in the United Kingdom, Anisa began playing kabaddi at university and eventually secured a place in the England women's national team. She was part of the team at the 2024 European Beach Kabaddi Championship.
Anisa pursued higher education in economic development at the London School of Economics (LSE) and worked at the international consulting firm Accenture. Interested in building her own business alongside her job, she founded the food business Bombay Pizza during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Anisa gained widespread recognition in the United Kingdom in 2025 after participating in BBC One's popular business reality show ‘The Apprentice’. She finished as the runner-up in the competition for a £250,000 business investment from British businessman Lord Alan Sugar.
Despite her busy schedule managing her business and participating in television programmes, Anisa has never moved away from kabaddi.
Recalling her journey, she wrote on social media, “I’ve graduated from LSE, worked at Accenture, built Bombay Pizza and competed on The Apprentice. Life has taken me in so many directions, but kabaddi has been there through all of it.”
Now, she is beginning a new chapter in the sport as captain of the England women's national team at the Commonwealth Kabaddi Championship, which begins in Ahmedabad on 23 October. Fourteen countries, including Bangladesh and England, will participate in the tournament.