The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) top officials on Wednesday (January 7) conducted a high-level meeting regarding their stand of not playing T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures in India.
In the meeting, it was decided that BCB will try to persuade the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate their T20 World Cup matches to Sri Lanka.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play their T20 World Cup group-stage games 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.
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 formally requested a venue change, citing security concerns in India.
It was reported on Tuesday (January 6) that ICC has asked Bangladesh to travel to India for T20 World Cup or risk forfeiting points. However, BCB denied receiving any ultimatum from the global governing body.
"In its communication, the ICC has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the full and uninterrupted participation of the Bangladesh team in the tournament," the BCB said in a media release on Wednesday.
"The ICC has conveyed its willingness to work closely with the BCB to address the concerns raised and has assured that the Board's inputs will be welcomed and duly considered as part of the detailed security planning for the event."
Moreover, Nazrul reiterated Bangladesh's stance of not wanting to play in India during Wednesday's meeting.
"We don't want to play the T20 World Cup in exchange for the honour of our country or in exchange for the security of our players and journalists. The letter that we have received from the ICC, after reading that we feel there is a major security concern in India regarding Bangladesh cricketers. The BCCI itself is telling the Kolkata Knight Riders team that, 'we are unable to provide security to this player (Mustafizur Rahman), so expel him from the team'. This is a tacit recognition that there is a safety issue in India," said Asif Nazrul, Advisor on Youth and Sports, Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs.
"We want to play the World Cup, but in Sri Lanka. We are adamant in this position. I hope we will be able to make the ICC understand our concerns. Hopefully, the ICC will hear our concerns objectively."
Nazrul refused to give a clear answer when asked about the possibility of Bangladesh giving walkovers in the team's matches scheduled in India.
"Our main stand is to make the ICC understand that we are not in a position to play in India. We will reply to the ICC very soon," he said.
BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul is hopeful of having further communication with the apex body very soon.
"We will fight for our rights. We are talking about a valid reason. We will make the ICC understand. We must understand that the T20 World Cup is being played in a hybrid model due to security reasons," he stated.
