- By Vishal Pushkar
- Wed, 07 Jan 2026 08:55 AM (IST)
- Source:JND
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly turned down Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) request to shift their matches from India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, as per ESPNcricinfo. The report stated that a virtual call took place on Tuesday between the two bodies (ICC and BCB), in which the international governing body told Bangladesh Cricket officials that their senior men's national cricket team will face the risk of forfeiting points if they do not travel to India.
No official word has been put up by the ICC or BCB in regard to this latest development so far.
Earlier, BCB placed a request to the ICC to shift their matches from India due to the 'safety and security' of Bangladeshi players. Many deemed it as a response to KKR's (Kolkata Knight Riders) decision to drop Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026, following a BCCI (Board of Cricket Control in India) directive after atrocities committed against minorities in Bangladesh.
"An emergency meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was held this afternoon to discuss recent developments related to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka," the BCB release said."
"The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours, and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India," it said.
"Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions," the BCB release added.
BCCI Instructed KKR To Drop Mustafizur: Saikia
KKR's decision came after the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that the apex cricket board has instructed the IPL franchise to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman "due to the recent developments.
"Due to the recent developments which are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement," Devaijit Saikia had told ANI.
Bangladesh are scheduled to open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. After the West Indies, Bangladesh will face Italy on February 9 at the same venue, then face the 2022 T20 World Cup champions, England, in Kolkata again.
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After facing England, Bangladesh are scheduled to travel to Mumbai to play Nepal at Wankhede Stadium. The World Cup event will start on February 7 with a match between Pakistan and the Netherlands at Colombo.
Inputs from Agency