The International Cricket Council (ICC) looks set to reject the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)’s request to shift its group stage matches of the 2026 T20 World Cup out of India. According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the ICC had a call scheduled with the members of the BCB for Tuesday (January 6), with officials set to ‘request’ the national board to stick to the World Cup roster amid soaring tensions between India and Bangladesh.
Relations between the BCB and the BCCI have worsened since the Indian board instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. The decision coincided with a rise in anti-Bangladesh sentiment in India, amid broader tensions over attacks on the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.
On Monday, BCB president Aminul Islam said they didn’t feel ‘secure’ about sending the team to India.
With only a month to go to the marquee tournament, BCB’s demand could be a logistical disaster. The 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, runs from February 7 to March 8, with Bangladesh playing their first three group stage matches in Kolkata and the last in Mumbai.
The report also said some top officials of the ICC, including chairman Jay Shah, who was a former BCCI secretary, were at the Indian board’s head office in Mumbai on Monday to discuss the next steps.
The BCB’s earlier statement to the ICC had 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.”
“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India,” it added.
The ICC is yet to comment on the issue publicly.
