A final call regarding Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 participation, and particularly the team travelling to India, would be taken on January 21, ESPNCricinfo reported on Sunday (January 18).

According to the report, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was told of this deadline by the International Cricket Council (ICC) during their discussions at Dhaka on Saturday (January 17).

It was the second meeting between the two parties in the same week, and the BCB reiterated its stance of not touring India for the marquee event.

The impasse over Bangladesh traveling to India began earlier this month when the BCCI instructed KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 contract, and the franchise obliged. The Indian board’s move came amid reports of atrocities on minorities in the neighboring country.

In response, the BCB wrote to the ICC and urged the apex body to relocate their T20 World Cup games to Sri Lanka, citing securing concerns in India.

However, ICC is firm on not altering the original schedule, as per which, Bangladesh are placed in Group C along with Italy, New Zealand, West Indies and Nepal.

Bangladesh’s tournament opener is just three weeks away, against the West Indies in Kolkata on February 7. They will play two more group stage matches at the iconic Eden Gardens, followed by their final group fixture in Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

During Saturday’s meeting, it was understood that ICC did not agree to having Bangladesh and Ireland switch groups, taking Bangladesh to Group B and making them play games in Sri Lanka. The global governing body is also understood to have assured BCB that India pose no security threats to the Bangladesh team.

The ones familiar with all discussions between both parties have indicated that the ball is in the BCB's court to take a final call. If they declined to send their team to India, ICC won’t hesitate to name a replacement, and as per current rankings, it could be Scotland.

As per ICC sources, the overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, in line with other major global sporting events.

The independent risk assessments, carried out by internationally recognised security experts, reportedly found no direct threat to Bangladesh players, officials or venues in Kolkata and Mumbai, and concluded that any risks can be managed through standard security measures.

(With ESPNCricinfo Inputs)