ICC Rejects Bangladesh’s Request to Move T20 World Cup Matches Out of India

Bangladesh on Thursday refused to play in the T20 world cup in India, while citing security concerns. The tensions between India and Bangladesh started since few months after multiple Hindus are targeted and mob-lynched and eventually killed in Bangladesh. Seeing the Indian public anger and opinion, BCCI ordered the KKR (Kolkata Knight Riders) team to release Bangladesh’s cricket team pacer, Mustafizur Rahman from its upcoming Indian Premier League 2026 squad.

Bought for ₹9.20 crores  in the auction in Abu Dhabi, Rahman was removed following BCCI’s orders. And since then the government of Bangladesh officially banned the broadcast of IPL in the country.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have also stepped in, as a protest against Rahman’s removal, asking the ICC to shift its T20 World Cup matches out of India to Sri Lanka. Sri Lanka is the co-host for upcoming T20 matches and all of Pakistan’s matches will be played in Sri Lanka too.

“It was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardise the sanctity of future ICC events,” Jay Shah led-governing body the ICC said in a statement on Wednesday.

How Bangladesh reacted to ICC’s refusal over change in schedule?

Speaking on the recent developments, Bangladesh Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul said, “While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis.”

“We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka,” he added during a press conference on Thursday.

What did the BCCI say over Bangladesh and ICC ongoing drama?

While reacting to this ongoing situation, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said,“The meeting was about CoE and other cricketing matters. It’s not our domain to talk about that (as the ICC has the final say on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup),” as reported by news agency PTI.

What is Bangladesh’s schedule in the T20 World Cup 2026?

Eight locations in India and Sri Lanka will host the T20 World Cup 2026 from February 7 to March 8. Bangladesh, the West Indies, Italy, Nepal, and England are all in Group C. The Eden Gardens in Kolkata will host Bangladesh’s first three games against the West Indies, England, and Italy, while the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai will host the game against Nepal. 

Table

Which group is Bangladesh in for the T20 World Cup?

Bangladesh assigned to Group C of the T20 World Cup, along with nations like Nepal, Italy, the West Indies, and England.

“We want to play the World Cup but not in India but in Sri Lanka”, says BCB President 

While claiming that the ICC cannot ensure the security of even Mustafizur Rahman, BCB President Aminul Islam said, “We all want to play the World Cup. The security issue remains intact for our players and contingent in India. It started with one player getting kicked out from their players. ICC can say whatever they want that there’s no security concern. But our player kicked out from their tournament. That country is hosting the world cup. What has changed since then? If Mustafizur can’t be provided security, how can we be convinced that ICC will give security? Whatever I communicate will players, that is a private communication. I won’t say anything they told us. The purpose of the meeting was to know what they want. I don’t want to our players under risk.”

“We asked them to shift the matches to Sri Lanka. We said that we can switch with Ireland or Zimbabwe. It would have been the easiest way. But Sri Lanka said that we don’t want a new team in our group,” BCB President Aminul Islam said yesterday.

What is the recent update on ICC and Bangladesh drama over the T20 world cup?

In another meeting held today between Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul and Bangladesh players, it decided that the cricket team of Bangladesh won’t travel to India for the T20 World Cup. However, Asif Nazrul also said that they “will keep fighting” against the Jay Shah led ICC decision over schedule changes.

What happens if Bangladesh doesn’t agree to the ICC’s ultimatum?

Since there was no real threat to the safety of their players, officials, or supporters in India, the world body issued an ultimatum to Bangladesh on Wednesday: either agree to travel there or risk being replaced. 

Scotland will take their place in Group C if the Bangladeshi team declines to go to India. Bangladesh has taken part in every T20 World Cup tournament to date. Bangladesh placed seventh in the 2024 edition, which was their best result. This won’t be the first time a team has withdrawn from an ICC event for political or security reasons if Bangladesh doesn’t participate in this edition.

How will withdrawing impact Bangladesh?

A participation fee of $300,000 (INR 2.74 crore) is anticipated for Bangladesh and all other teams. If BCB doesn’t play, they won’t get that money. They will probably be fined by the ICC as well. Because of this, BCB is having talks even though they were previously adamant about not visiting India.