Sri Lanka Open to Hosting Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 Matches, Logistics remain Concern | Exclusive

Amid the International Cricket Council's probable nod to Bangladesh Cricket Board's demands for the T20 World Cup venue shift, the Sri Lankan Cricket Board remains on alert for hosting multiple matches.

The recent issues between India and Bangladesh have taken a toll on cricket. Amid the geopolitical tensions, BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman. And in retaliation, the BCB has decided not to send their team to India citing security reasons.

As per the latest updates, ICC may consider Bangladesh's demands and let them play in a neutral venue, which has been the case in recent times for the ACC and ICC tournaments.

MyKhel understands the Sri Lankan cricket board hasn't been officially notified about

the Bangladesh matches as of Sunday evening, but they are prepared to host extra matches. Pakistan are playing all of their matches in the island country, which will also host a few other matches, and Bangladesh may add to that list.

A few tweaks in the schedule is likely to be made, which will see Bangladesh matches at a different venue, either in Colombo or in other cities. Three venues are set to host the matches as of now, two in Colombo and one in Pallekele. A Sri Lankan cricket official told this website that if the logistics are taken care of, which can be a big challenge, they won't have any issue accommodating the extra matches which may come their way.

"They (ICC) have to take care of logistics, which can be an issue. But if that is taken care of, Sri Lanka won't have any problem in hosting matches. They (Bangladesh) can be accommodated in Colombo. We are having our matches against Pakistan in Dambulla, it can be slotted here as well. "

Although the primary focus will be around Colombo, matches can be played in Pallekele as well. The schedule also has one match in any Sri Lankan venue everyday, which means the Bangladesh matches can be slotted in any other of the two venues.

It further creates an issue if Bangladesh advance to the semis or the final. In that case, the matches which were originally set to be hosted in India shall also need shifting to the island country.