The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to send its senior men's cricket team to India for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in India.
This comes after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) ordered the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 roster. KKR acknowledged this on Saturday.
"Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL, as the regulator of IPL, has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season,” KKR posted on social media.
Notably, the inclusion of the Bangladeshi player provoked a huge controversy in India, particularly in light of the recent targeting of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh, and numerous viewpoints have been expressed regarding Mustafizur's selection by KKR for the IPL 2026 season.
Mustafizur was acquired by the Kolkata-based KKR franchise for a hefty INR 9.20 crores at the IPL 2026 auction in December of last year.
Meanwhile, on January 4, 2026, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed that Bangladesh will not travel to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, following a directors' meeting on Sunday.
The BCB has also requested that the International Cricket Council (ICC) move Bangladesh's cricket team matches to a venue outside India.
Meanwhile, Asif Nazrul, a government advisor, announced that the Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided not to send the national team to India for their T20 World Cup fixtures.
"Bangladesh will not go to India to play World Cup. Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken this decision today. We welcome this decision taken in the context of the violent communal policy of the Cricket Board of India," Nazrul wrote in Bengali on his Facebook page.
On the other hand, a BCCI source had insisted that the shift is next to impossible with just a month left for the tournament.
"You can't just change games at someone's whims and fancies. It is a logistical nightmare. Think about opposition teams. Their air tickets and hotels are booked. Also, on all days, there are three games each, which means one game is in Sri Lanka. There is a broadcast crew. So it will be easier said than done," the BCCI source told PTI.
Bangladesh will open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After the West Indies, Bangladesh will face Italy on February 9 at the same location, followed by England in Kolkata. Then Bangladesh will fly to Mumbai to play Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium.
The T20 World Cup will begin on February 7 with a match between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo.
(ANI inputs)
