The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) appear to be at odds over Bangladesh's locations for the future T20 World Cup 2026.

As per the existing schedule, Bangladesh is slated to play three games - vs West Indies (February 7), vs Italy (February 9), and vs England (February 14) in Kolkata before moving to Mumbai to take on Nepal on February 17.

However, the impasse over Bangladesh traveling to India began when the BCCI ordered Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release their Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman, and the franchise obliged. This was due to the ongoing atrocities against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.

Bangladesh has written to the ICC twice about their security concerns about traveling to India for the T20 World Cup and has requested to shift their matches be shifted to Sri Lanka, the co-host of the event.

The global body has yet to respond formally, and it may only do so on Monday (January 12). Even yet, the ICC's odds of accepting the BCB's request to relocate its fixtures to Sri Lanka remain small, given the logistical obstacles of transferring matches so close to the showpiece tournament's start date on February 7.

Meanwhile, as per the Cricbuzz report, with just over three weeks left for the tournament to begin, the ICC is reportedly exploring alternate venues for the matches involving Bangladesh, and it is unlikely they will be in Sri Lanka, where Bangladesh insists on playing.

The ICC and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the co-hosts of the World Cup, have reportedly sounded out the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and Kerala Cricket Association (KCA), and the possibility of relocating Bangladesh's matches to Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram is being investigated.

Although representatives of the TNCA and KCA could not be contacted, it has been learned that they have indicated a desire to host the games. Chepauk is already scheduled to host seven T20 World Cup matches, including a possible Super 8 match between Australia and India.

It is thought that TNCA officials informed the ICC and BCCI that they would have no issues because they have eight pitches.