Bangladesh Threaten ICC With 'Nearly 200 Million Fans' & 'Significant Loss For World Cricket'

Bangladesh will not travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced on Thursday, thereby ruling the nation out of the tournament.

“Our only demand is to play the World Cup — but not in India,” BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul informed reporters.

Nazrul was asked if the players, who have repeatedly sought an amicable solution that considers their welfare, had been consulted about the boycott of the premier tournament.

“We met with the players to explain the context and the government’s reasoning behind this decision. As this was a privileged communication, the specifics of what the players said will not be disclosed to allow them to speak freely, but they seemed to understand the situation,” Nazrul said.

“Bangladesh is a populous, cricket-loving nation with nearly 200 million fans. If the ICC fails to accommodate us, it will be a significant loss for world cricket and a failure for the host country,” he added.

Bangladesh T20 World Cup Participation – Live

This decision came a day after cricket’s governing body denied Bangladesh’s request to play its games in Sri Lanka instead of India.

“There is no scope for changing our decision,” stated Asif Nazrul, an adviser for youth and sports in Bangladesh’s interim government.

The T20 World Cup is set to commence on February 7, with Bangladesh scheduled to play their four group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Also Read: Stand Taken Or Self Sabotage? How BCB’s Withdrawal From 2026 T20 World Cup Can Threaten Bangladesh’s Cricket Future

How We Got Here…

The disagreement between the neighbouring countries began on January 3 when the Indian cricket board instructed the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

Mustafizur’s removal from the IPL followed online outrage from right-wing Indian Hindus, who cited alleged attacks on their community in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

On Wednesday, the sport’s global governing body stated it had “engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue” to ensure Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament, but those efforts were “rebuffed.”

The International Cricket Council (ICC) declared that “independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans, and formal assurances from the host authorities” indicated “no credible or verifiable threat to the safety” of the Bangladesh team.

However, Nazrul countered that Bangladesh’s security concerns “did not arise from speculation or theoretical analysis.”

“They arose from a real incident, where one of our country’s top players was forced to bow to extremists, and the Indian cricket board asked him to leave India,” he explained.

(With inputs from Agencies)