Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam has confirmed that the Bangladesh cricket team have concerns travelling to India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Bangladesh are set to play all 4 games in India, with 3 games in Kolkata and 1 in Mumbai. The controversy has come to a head after BCCI ordered the release of Mustafizur Rahman who was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) in the IPL 2026 Auction.
"We, along with all the directors of the cricket board, held two meetings before taking this decision and at this moment we do not feel secure sending our team to India to play the World Cup," Aminul told reporters on Monday.
The move followed a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding Mustafizur Rahman's availability, which led Bangladesh's Sports Ministry to step in. Soon after, the BCB sent an official email to the ICC, clearly stating that it is not possible for the team to travel to India due to safety concerns.
The BCB President on Monday confirmed that they will wait for a response from ICC before deciding on further course of action. As for communication with BCCI, Islam said that the T20 World Cup 2026 is an ICC event.
"What our next step will be depends on the reply to the email we have sent. We do not know what feedback will come (from ICC), but the clauses we have given are within the MPO. We are not communicating with BCCI because this is an ICC event. We are communicating with the ICC," he added.
In further retaliation, Bangladesh have banned the broadcast of all IPL matches in the country. A statement from the information and broadcast ministry of Muhammad Yunus' interim government here stated that no "logical reason" was given by the BCCI while instructing IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Rahman from its 2026 roster.
