New Delhi, January 22: Bangladesh will not play their T20 World Cup fixtures in India, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul confirmed on Thursday, after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their request to shift Bangladesh’s World Cup fixtures outside India.
The ICC on Wednesday rejected the BCB’s request to move their matches out of India for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup during a video conference convened to discuss the way forward.
The T20 World Cup will kick off on February 7, with India and Sri Lanka set to co-host the tournament.
Strong remarks from BCB chief
“We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we won’t play in India. We will keep fighting. There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision-makers in that issue,” BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul told reporters.
“ICC has denied us our request to shift our matches away from India. We are not sure about the status of world cricket. Its popularity is going down. They have locked away 200 million people. Cricket is going to the Olympics, but if a country like us is not going there, it is ICC’s failure,” he added.
Background of strained ties
There has been some strain in India’s ties with Bangladesh over rising incidents of crimes against minorities in the country. Last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League 2026 squad amid demands following atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
Following Rahman’s removal from the IPL, the BCB cited growing concerns about the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent as the reason for not travelling to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
Government echoes concerns
Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul on Thursday said that the ICC failed to convince them on security concerns in India.
“ICC has failed to convince us on the security question. ICC has not taken any stand on our grievances. Even the Indian government did not communicate with us or try to assuage our fears,” Asif Nazrul said.
Tournament schedule in question
The T20 World Cup will kick off on February 7. Bangladesh are scheduled to begin their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.
The Litton Das-led side will then face Italy on February 9 at the same venue before facing England in Kolkata again. After facing England, Bangladesh are scheduled to travel to Mumbai to play Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium.
Nazrul further stated that the BCB and the Bangladesh government have not lost hope and believe the ICC will understand their security risk concerns and allow them to play in Sri Lanka.
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“We haven’t lost hope yet. We hope ICC will understand our genuine security risk concerns and allow us to play in Sri Lanka,” he added.
(Disclaimer: Except for the headline, this article has not been edited by FPJ's editorial team and is auto-generated from an agency feed.)
