Bangladesh women's team will play a five-match Test series against hosts Nepal next week, running from April 20-25, as part of their build-up for the Women's Kabaddi World Cup.

The women in red and green, set to depart for Kathmandu on Saturday, have been training since early February in preparation for the 14-team global tournament, scheduled for June 1-8 in Bihar, India.

Despite past bronze finishes at the Asian Games, they returned empty-handed in 2018 and 2023, falling to an improving Nepal on both occasions.

This upcoming series -- where the visitors will be sponsored by Fortune Barishal, a cricketing franchise from the Bangladesh Premier League T20 -- is also seen as a chance to restore pride ahead of the World Cup.

"Nepal have been training in India and they are now a better side than Bangladesh… but I think the current Bangladesh team are also good compared to the previous ones," said former captain-turned-coach Arduzzaman Munshi at a press conference at the BOA conference room on Thursday.

Assistant coach Shahnaz Parvin Maleka added, "This time around, we want to gain experience and confidence, identify where we lag behind against Nepal, and thus take suitable preparation in future."

Bangladesh Kabaddi Federation (BKF) general secretary Shah Newaz Shohag said "we want to win a medal in the upcoming Women's Kabaddi World Cup" and informed the federation plans to send the team to India for more practice matches as part of their final preparation phase for the main event.