ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has embarked on reshaping the schedule for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, following the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) formal request to shift their WC Group C matches outside India.
According to the original pencilled plan, Bangladesh had been slated to play their first three group matches against the West Indies, Italy, and England at Kolkata's Eden Gardens on February 7, 9, and 14, respectively.
A heated controversy erupted between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) following the abrupt removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad.
BCCI had instructed KKR to release Mustafizur, who was inscribed for a record Rs 9.20 crore, mentioning "recent developments" in Bangladesh.
Now, a report in the Indian Express, “Following BCB’s request, the ICC, led by chairman Jay Shah, has initiated the process of drawing up a fresh schedule."
Following an emergency conference on Sunday afternoon, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) issued a statement declaring its formal proposal to the ICC to relocate all Bangladesh matches to a venue outside India.
BCB's Statement On ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 Scheduled
“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 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. 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 stated.
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“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India. The Board believes that such a step is necessary to safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, Board members and other stakeholders and to ensure that the team can participate in the tournament in a secure and appropriate environment. The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter," the release added.
Bangladesh Name Official Squad For T20 WC
Litton Das will lead the 15-member squad in the T20 World Cup. The tournament, featuring 20 teams, is pencilled to start from February 7 to March 8 across eight venues in Sri Lanka and India.
Bangladesh: Litton Das (C), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shaif Uddin, Shoriful Islam