The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has reiterated its commitment to offering top-notch security for India's scheduled white-ball tour in September, with the board ready to beef up its arrangements if needed.
Addressing the media on Tuesday (July 7), BCB security committee chairman Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed confirmed the board was leaving no stone unturned to ensure the safety of the touring Indian contingent.
While no formal dialogue with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has taken place as yet, he expressed confidence that the tour would go ahead as planned.
The comment comes days after the BCB initiated the media rights bidding process for its men's home international calendar for 2026-27, which includes a highly anticipated, postponed white-ball series (three T20Is and three ODIs) against India.
The absence of T20Is from India's tour of Sri Lanka in August also indicates that the BCB and BCCI are probably moving forward with the series.
Originally scheduled for August 2025, India’s tour of Bangladesh was postponed to September 2026 following diplomatic tensions between two nations. Earlier this year, the relations hit rock bottom after IPL franchise KKR release Mustafizur Rahman from their roster on BCCI’s instructions while Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026 citing security concerns.
However, Ibrahim, who also serves as the son of Bangladesh Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed, emphasized that player and team security is paramount, especially when hosting major cricketing nations
"Security is always a concern for every touring side, especially for the major cricketing nations. We have not yet formally started communication with them (BCCI). We are hopeful there will be no complaints if the tour takes place as planned," Ibrahim told reporters in Dhaka.
"We always try to organise our events in a controlled environment and ensure the highest standards of security. We will continue to do that."
Ibrahim added that the BCB remains open to reviewing and enhancing security protocols based on real-time circumstances closer to the tour dates.
"It will depend on the circumstances, and if required, we will enhance the security," he said.
Sayeed Ibrahim Ahmed also confirmed that the formal discussions between the BCB and BCCI are yet to begin.
"There has been no such positive message yet, and we are still working out the details of the tour. We are trying to establish communication through the formal channels because the tour is coming up very soon," he remarked.
Meanwhile, BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia recently clarified that the board will purely follow the Government of India’s directives regarding the resumption of bilateral and multinational sporting ties with Bangladesh.
"The BCCI is a cricketing controlling board, and we have nothing to do with what is going on politically in other countries," Saikia told PTI last month.
"As the BCCI, we follow whatever policy the Government of India has in place regarding participation in bilateral and multinational sporting events. Whatever regulations and policies the central government frames, we follow them, just like any other sports federation, whether it is football, athletics or any other sport," he explained.
