The International Cricket Council (ICC) has turned down the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to relocate their T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures from India to Sri Lanka, ESPNcricinfo reported.

According to the report, a virtual call took place between the ICC and BCB on Tuesday (January 6), during which the apex body categorically rejected the latter’s plea to shift Bangladesh’s matches outside India due to security concerns.

The report also stated that the ICC have told the BCB that their senior men’s national cricket team will need to travel to India to play their T20 World Cup matches or risk forfeiting points.

It is to be noted that there has been no official statement issued by BCB or ICC on the outcome of Tuesday’s call after the BCB formally requested a venue change, citing security concerns in India.

The development follows the controversy surrounding Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s axing from the forthcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.

Mustafizur, who would have been the sole Bangladeshi representative in the IPL 2026, was signed by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 9.2 crore in the mini-auction last month. However, as reports of atrocities on Hindus in Bangladesh increased, there was growing demand of removing the left-arm quick from the league.

On Saturday (January 3) morning, the BCCI confirmed that KKR had been instructed to release Mustafizur and the franchise obliged to the board’s diktat within a few hours.

In the wake of this move, the BCB wrote to the ICC seeking to have their T20 World Cup matches relocated to Sri Lanka, the co-host of the T20 World Cup.

“An emergency meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was held this afternoon to discuss recent developments related to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka,” the BCB release said.

“The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours, and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India,” it said.

“Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” the BCB release added.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play their T20 World Cup 2026 matches against the West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9), and England (February 14) at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and Nepal (February 17) at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.