In recent times, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has been reported to have rejected the plea of Bangladesh to move its matches out of India for the T20 World Cup 2026.
While the global governing body hasn’t issued an official statement so far, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) opened up about the increasing speculations.
On Wednesday (January 07), the BCB denied the reports of the ICC forcing Bangladesh’s participation on Indian soil for the forthcoming 10th edition of the tournament.
No Official Confirmation or Warning: BCB Statement
The formal statement provided by the Bangladesh Cricket Board rejects the rumors of receiving any warning or official confirmation from the ICC:
“No! Such claims are completely baseless, which does not convey the true context of the information received from ICC.
Earlier, the ICC responded to BCB’s proposal to relocate the team’s matches, given the safety and security concerns of the national team in India for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
In other words, ICC promised a full-fledged and uninterrupted participation of the Bangladesh cricket team throughout the tournament,” the BCB statement explained.
BCB President Denies Misleading Claims
Animul Islam Bulbul, the president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, straightaway denied the media reports. There were increasing rumors that the ICC threatened to deduct Bangladesh’s points if the national side refused to play its matches in India:
“Not At All! There is misleading information that the ICC informed us that relocating the matches to Sri Lanka was impossible. To date, we have been maintaining proper communication with the international governing bodies. As the ICC has asked us to specify the issues, we are gathering evidence to address them.
Initially, we submitted our request in written format to the ICC, citing the team’s safety and security issues.
Our scope is limited to ensure the players’ safety, but the large population, like journalists, cricket lovers, and sponsors, needs to be considered.
We require the government’s guidance as a government order becomes crucial for any foreign trip.
Suppose the safety and security don’t improve, we will certainly continue fighting for our rights about the upcoming T20 World Cup, the 57-year-old said.
‘Hope for Proper Resolution’: Animul Islam Bulbul
Animil Bulbul opened up about the consequences that Bangladesh is likely to face if it refuses to travel to India for the high-profile tournament:
“Certainly! No matter how serious the consequences would be, we are clear to remain firm with our stance.
BCB has already considered those outcomes. For example, last year’s ICC Champions Trophy in February to March 2025 saw India playing all its matches at a neutral venue like Dubai, refusing to travel to Pakistan.
Likewise, Pakistan refrained from traveling to India for the upcoming ICC events. Let’s hope to have a proper resolution.
Even though we may be forced to compromise on our travel to India despite the security issues, our decision remains unchanged,” Animul added.
Reasons For Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 Controversy
It all started when the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman. He was the only player from his nation to sign a deal with the franchise worth INR 9.2 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction.
However, KKR and BCCI’s decision came under scrutiny after certain groups severely backlashed the move following the sufferings and brutal killings of Hindus in Bangladesh.
Soon after the Knight Riders released him, the BCB and the Bangladesh government decided to give a counterattacking response.
In addition to the national team refraining from participating in India’s hosted T20 World Cup matches, the Bangladesh interim government led by Muhammad Yunus has strictly ordered to ban the IPL broadcast across the nation.
‘Want to Play World Cup in Sri Lanka’: Asif Nazrul
Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nazrul gave a confident statement that the national team players won’t play the World Cup, compromising the honor of their nation:
“Look! We are not interested in playing the T20 World Cup just by compromising the honor of our nation, where players and journalists matter a lot.
After receiving the ICC’s letter, we came to know about Bangladeshi cricketers’ security concerns in India.
BCCI itself gave a statement that they were unable to give security to the player (Mustafizur Rahman) and instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to expel him.
This is a silent indication of players’ safety problems in India. Definitely, we want to play the T20 World Cup, but in Sri Lanka. We would rather not play on Indian soil anymore.
We are adamant with our decision and hope ICC understands our situation. Hopefully, ICC accepts our requests soon,” Nazrul said.