Former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh responded on Monday to the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) formal appeal to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup matches from India to alternative venues, citing safety and security concerns.

Harbhajan added that India invites all teams, but it is ultimately up to Bangladesh to decide whether to compete on Indian land.

The former Indian cricketer underlined that the ICC must decide on their proposal. The BCB cited rising concerns about the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent as the basis for their decision not to travel to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Speaking on the issue, Harbhajan Singh stated that the situation should be reviewed calmly by all parties through the right channels before a decision is made.

"Due to the various events that have taken place in the past few days, Bangladesh does not want to come to India. Whatever happened in Bangladesh is wrong. ICC needs to make a decision on their request. We welcome everyone to India, but whether they (Bangladesh) want to come here or not is their choice,” Harbhajan Singh said on ANI.

BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia declared that the IPL team had been told to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman "due to the recent developments" by the top cricket authority.

"Due to the recent developments that are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement," Devajit Saikia had told ANI.

In response to a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding atrocities committed against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announced that they had removed Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 roster.

Mustafizur Rahman was bought by KKR in the IPL 2026 auction for INR 9.20 crores, and the franchise will be allowed a replacement player.