- By Himanshu Badola
- Tue, 06 Jan 2026 10:09 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam has broken the silence on the decision behind avoiding sending the team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to be played in February-March. In response to the BCCI's recent actions, the BCB requested the ICC to relocate their T20 World Cup matches out of India.
Citing the security concerns, the BCB wants its matches to be played in Sri Lanka. The recent development has massively hurt the political as well as cricketing relations between the two countries. The BCB reacted soon after star pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad ahead of the Indian Premier League, as per the directive of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Aminul confirmed that the BCB has formally communicated all the concerns to the International Cricket Council (ICC). He said a letter and an email have been sent to explain Bangladesh’s position. "You know that we, along with all the directors of the cricket board, held two meetings before taking this decision, and at this moment we do not feel secure sending our team to India to play the World Cup," Aminul was quoted by Cricbuzz as saying.
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"So we wrote a letter to the ICC, and in the letter we clearly stated what we wanted to say. Because to us, security appeared to be a major concern, and that is what we are following. We have sent an email to the ICC, and we are expecting them to tell us to have a meeting with them soon, where we will express our concern," he added.
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The BCCI had to make a big decision amid the heavy backlash from the public and political reactions following the rise in killings of Hindus in Bangladesh. As per the BCB, the Bangladesh team has no issue playing India in bilateral series or global tournaments; the current focus is only on the safety aspect related to the World Cup. Aminul mentioned that the board’s next step will depend entirely on the ICC’s response.
"But what our next step will be depends on the reply to the email we have sent. We do not know what feedback will come (from ICC), but the clauses we have given are within the MPO. We are not communicating with BCCI because this is an ICC event. We are communicating with the ICC," he said.
Adding more to the chaos, Mustafizur, who was bought for Rs 9.20 crore by the KKR at the IPL 2026 auction, was later denied a No Objection Certificate by the BCB, ruling him out of the 19th season even if the franchise reverses their decision. "Look, cricket between the two countries (the relationship between India and Bangladesh), like playing a bilateral series or playing in the World Cup, is one thing, and security concern is another matter," said Aminul.
"So for now, we are thinking about the World Cup issue (security)," he said.