A series of talks is going to be held by the International Cricket Council (ICC) with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), as the latter has decided not to play its T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India. This has happened when the India and Bangladesh relations are turning out to be more strained with each passing day.
A call between the ICC and the BCB is lined up on Tuesday, in which the ICC is likely to request Bangladesh to fulfill their already-existent schedule of tournaments.
Bangladesh Requests Matches be Postponed Outside Of India
Over the weekend, the BCB officially wrote to the ICC, demanding that all of its fixtures in the T20 World Cup 2026 be shifted out of India for safety reasons concerning the “safety and well-being” of its players.
The BCB said the request was made based on a suggestion from the Bangladesh government, citing their concerns regarding the security of Bangladeshi citizens living in India under the prevailing circumstances. However, it needs to be mentioned here that the Bangladeshis have not issued a travel warning.
Bangladesh’s Scheduled Matches in T20 World Cup 2026
The T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, will begin on February 7 and conclude on March 8.
As per the current schedule, Bangladesh is set to play its Group C matches as follows:
February 7: vs West Indies – Kolkata
February 9: vs Italy – Kolkata
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February 14: vs England – Kolkata
February 17: vs Nepal – Mumbai
Any change in venue would require ICC approval.
Mustafizur Rahman IPL Exit Sparks Controversy
The situation went out of hand after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad.
Mustafizur was bought in the IPL auction last month for INR 9.2 crores (approximately 1.02 million USD). Till date, there is no reason stated as to why this is happening, or who ordered this directive. It is worth noting here that there has been no IPL Governing Council Meeting since the auction held on December 16.
ICC and BCCI Have Not Released Statements Thus Far
The ICC has yet to make any comments on the issue at the moment. The top officials of the ICC, including Chairman Jay Shah, met at the BCCI Headquarters in Mumbai on Monday to discuss the issue at hand.
Limited BCB Leadership Handling the Matter
Only a select few officials from the Bangladesh side have been entrusted to handle the situation. These people include Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam and chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury, who are carrying out negotiations for a solution between the ICC and the Bangladesh government.
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