The International Cricket Council (ICC) is set to send a delegation to Bangladesh in the coming days to hold in-person discussions with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over their participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup, which is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. The move comes after previous attempts to resolve the issue through emails and virtual meetings failed to yield a breakthrough.
According to ICC sources cited by IANS, “The delegation will travel to Bangladesh in a few days for a final one-on-one meeting with BCB officials regarding the T20 World Cup, and a decision will be announced after it.” The visit is being seen as a crucial step to resolve the impasse and ensure Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament.
The dispute arises from Bangladesh’s firm stance against playing matches in India, following the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) request that IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) remove Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the squad. The issue has prompted the BCB and the country’s sports ministry to insist on relocating their matches outside India.
Earlier, the ICC had held a video conference with the BCB, during which the Bangladesh board reiterated its request to move matches outside India. While the ICC highlighted that the tournament schedule is already finalised and urged the BCB to reconsider, both sides agreed to continue discussions in an effort to reach a resolution.
Bangladesh is scheduled to play three matches in India: against the West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 in Kolkata, before moving to Mumbai to face Nepal on February 17. The ICC’s upcoming delegation visit is expected to clarify whether these fixtures will proceed as planned or be rescheduled.
