Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) director Ishtiaque Sadeque has resigned from his position, citing family and personal reasons. His exit comes following a major setback for the BCB, with the International
Cricket Council (ICC) replacing Bangladesh with Scotland at the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup after the board refused to send its team to India.
Ishtiaque tendered his resignation on Saturday via email and did not attend the scheduled BCB board meeting later that day. Elected as a director from the club category during the October 6 BCB elections, Ishtiaque was appointed chairman of the board’s Game Development Committee just a day later. However, less than six months into his first term, he chose to step down, explaining that he could no longer dedicate the time required for such a demanding role.
"It is true that I am resigning. I believe that I am unable to dedicate the time required for such a large community like Game Development, where I am currently serving, because of my family and personal commitments. I cannot provide the effort necessary to accelerate Game Development. For this reason, I feel a personal sense of regret that I am not doing justice to this position. That is why I am resigning from here," Ishtiaque told Cricbuz on Saturday.
Everyone who was with me tried their best in their own way: Ishtiaque
Ishtiaque denied speculation of internal rifts within the BCB, stressing that his resignation was not driven by misunderstandings or disputes with fellow board members.
"The claim that I am leaving because of any misunderstanding, relationship issues with anyone on this board, or due to any hurt feelings or grievances, is completely false. Everyone who was with me tried their best in their own way. I believe that whoever succeeds me in Game Development will be able to take Bangladesh's cricket forward. They have my full support. Even though I will no longer be on the board-I mean, they will have my complete support. Thank you very much, " he added
Apart from his role at the BCB, Ishtiaque also serves as the chief executive officer of Bangladesh Premier League franchise Rangpur Riders. Ishtiaque’s resignation comes just on the same day as the ICC took the unprecedented step of replacing Bangladesh with Scotland at the 2026 T20 World Cup. The decision followed nearly three weeks of negotiations after the BCB refused to play its matches in India, citing security concerns. Despite independent security assessments finding no credible threat, Bangladesh remainded on its position.
After missing a 24-hour deadline set by the ICC to confirm participation, the governing body moved ahead with Scotland as the replacement, stating that altering the schedule so close to the tournament would undermine the integrity of ICC events.
