The International Cricket Council has communicated their stand to the Bangladesh Cricket Board.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is days away from commencement, and teams are putting their best foot forward in order to prepare for the tournament. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have been denied cooperation by the International Cricket Council (ICC) over their repeated requests to change the venues for their matches.
The matter escalated after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) formally informed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh speedster from their IPL 2026 squad, pertaining to the political tensions arising between the two countries.
The BCB has been given a 24-hour deadline to confirm whether they would be travelling for the tournament to India. Failing to meet the deadline will result in eradication of the side from the T20 World Cup 2026, with another team taking their place (probably Scotland).
The Bangladesh management had requested to swap their matches with Ireland, who play each of their games in Sri Lanka. However, the ICCC had already communicated to Ireland that their games would not be moved from the initial allotment, and hence, the request was declined.
“The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India,” read an ICC statement after the meeting.
ALSO READ:
The Tigers are slated to play three of their four group stages in Kolkata against the West Indies, Italy and England on January 7, 9 and 14 respectively. Post that, the team will travel to Mumbai for their final group stage clash against Nepal on January 17.
An ICC spokesperson clearly stated that the two boards have consistently engaged in dialogues over the past month regarding the issue. To add to that, he also stated that the ICC has shared detailed plans ensuring the security of all Bangladesh players.
“During this period, the ICC has shared detailed inputs, including independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities, all of which consistently concluded that there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India,” said the ICC spokesperson.
Despite the constant communication and assurance, the Bangladesh Cricket Board maintained its position, which was based on an unrelated development, linking Mustafizur Rahman’s participation in the Indian franchise league.
For more updates, follow CricXtasy on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and YouTube.
