The International Cricket Council (ICC) is open to moving Bangladesh’s Group C matches of the ICC Men’s ODI World Cup 2026 outside India. According to a report in Cricbuzz on Sunday (January 4), the ICC will
consider Bangladesh’s request to move their shortest format mega-event matches out of India.
“The world body has not taken a call or met, more so today being a Sunday, but Cricbuzz understands that ICC is open to moving the Bangladesh games to Sri Lanka, the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup,” the report read.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play their first three Group C T20 World Cup 2026 matches at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 7, 9 and 14 against West Indies, Italy and England, respectively, and their last group-stage match is scheduled on February 17 at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai against Nepal.
Bangladesh’s schedule in T20 World Cup 2026
| DATE | DAY | AGAINST | VENUE |
| February 7 | Saturday | West Indies | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| February 9 | Monday | Italy | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| February 14 | Saturday | England | Eden Gardens, Kolkata |
| February 17 | Tuesday | Nepal | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai |
Bangladesh request relocation of matches
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held an emergency meeting on Sunday afternoon, and post that they released a statement in which the BCB stated that they have formally requested the ICC to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.
“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 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. 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 stated.
“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. The Board believes that such a step is necessary to safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, Board members and other stakeholders and to ensure that the team can participate in the tournament in a secure and appropriate environment. The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter,” the release added.
