BCB Declines India Travel For T20 World Cup 2026: The Bangladesh Cricket Board has withdrawn its previously issued No-Objection Certificate against star pacer Mustafizur Rahman, thus disallowing him from playing in IPL 2026, a source confirmed. The move was taken with immediate effect during a BCB-level meeting with some relevant authorities.
Consequently, even if Kolkata Knight Riders have a rethink about the decision, Mustafizur Rahman cannot be allowed to take part in the competition because of safety issues.
BCB Declines India Travel For T20 World Cup 2026
The news of the day is that the Bangladesh Cricket Board had confirmed the non-participation of the national team in the upcoming 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, which will be held in India. An official press statement will be released soon regarding this matter.
The decision comes after prolonged discussions among the majority of the BCB Board members, who were in consensus over not wanting the Bangladesh national cricket team to play their ICC World Cup matches in India.
Security Concerns Drive BCB’s Decision
At first, BCB had plans to put forth various concerns to the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the matters of security. Later, upon some internal discussions, they decided to place a direct demand: Bangladesh will not take part in any match to be held inside India.
In an official communication with the ICC, the BCB said:
“For security reasons, it is not possible to send the team to India for the T20 World Cup.”
KKR Release Triggers Controversy Amongst the Many
This developed as KKR announced the release of Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL side, as the latter made a request to the BCCI. This left-armer’s contract cost a massive ₹9.20 crores, and he picked up this deal at the IPL 2026 mini auction in December 2025.
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This stirred a lot of outrage among Bangladesh when it emerged that some political and religious sections were opposing the event, as well as concerns among Indian authorities regarding player safety.
Bangladesh Government Backs BCB’s Stand
Immediately after Mustafizur was dropped from the KKR team, Bangladesh’s sports ministry directed the BCB to write to the ICC seeking a change of venue for Bangladesh’s World Cup matches to Sri Lanka.
Government adviser Asif Nazrul backed the board’s decision, saying that if a Bangladeshi player cannot safely fulfill a professional contract in India, the national team cannot be expected to feel secure going there.
Nazrul reiterated the stand on social media later, where he wrote:
“Bangladesh will not go to India to play in the World Cup. Bangladesh Cricket Board took this decision today.”
ICC Yet to Respond, BCCI Rejects Relocation Proposal
While the ICC is yet to make any comment, officially speaking, on the BCB’s request, the BCCI reportedly ruled out the possibility of relocating matches, labeling that as “logistically impossible.”
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Bangladesh Announce T20 World Cup Squad
Even as the uncertainty about the locations remains, the Bangladesh T20 World Cup lineup has been unveiled with Litton Das as the skipper and Saif Hassan as vice-captain.
The pace attack consists of Mustafizur Rahman, Mohammad Saifuddin, Shoriful Islam, Taskin Ahmed, and Tanzim Hasan Sakib
The schedule for Bangladesh included opening their World Cup matches with the West Indies on February 7th at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, with their groups comprising of England, Italy, Nepal, and West Indies.
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