The T20 World Cup 2026 will kick off on February 7.
Due to a serious conflict between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), a big question has to be addressed: why Bangladesh are not playing in T20 World Cup 2026? The issue started when the BCCI ordered KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 team due to political tensions. In response, the BCB requested that their Group C matches be moved from India to Sri Lanka because of safety concerns.
All T20 World Cup 2026 Squads: Every Squad Named for the Upcoming ICC Tournament
The ICC denied this request, stating that there were no credible threats according to their assessments and highlighting the logistical challenges. They set a deadline of January 22, warning that Scotland would take Bangladesh’s place if they withdrew. After a meeting in Dhaka with Asif Nazrul, Aminul Islam, and players such as Shanto and Nurul Hasan, the BCB decided to withdraw instead of playing in India. This lead to the story of why Bangladesh are not playing in T20 World Cup 2026.
Explained: Why Scotland Were Chosen To Play in T20 World Cup 2026
Bangladesh’s withdrawal means they would end their T20 World Cup participation streak since its inception (2007).
Bangladesh has been removed from the T20 World Cup 2026 campaign because they refused to travel to India for the tournament. The ICC gave Bangladesh 24 hours to review their decision on participation. BCB did not budge from their stance, which means Scotland will now join Group C in the preliminary stage of the competition. This move finalised the reason behind why Bangladesh are not playing in T20 World Cup 2026.
As per the schedule, Scotland will play three games in Kolkata. They will first face the West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14. After that, they will play against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.
Sports advisor Asif Nazrul held a meeting with the T20 World Cup 2026 players to update them on ICC’s vote and gather their opinions before a final government decision. The BCB President then confirmed that Bangladesh will not travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026. However, he also stated that the board will return to the ICC today for one last effort.
BCB president Aminul Islam, “We will go back to the ICC and demand to rethink Sri Lanka as a venue. Their 24-hour ultimatum is unacceptable for a global body. They will lose 200 million viewers. Sri Lanka isn’t a co-host; it’s a hybrid. Some comments from the ICC meeting shocked me. If Mustafizur doesn’t get security for IPL 2026 from the host nation, how can we trust them? We want the World Cup, but not in India.”
In a video conference, the ICC Board had 14 of 16 members vote against relocation, with only BCB and PCB in favour. ICC released a statement claiming that there were no verifiable threats and security guarantees were in place. They also stated that changing venues could jeopardise the tournament’s integrity and lead to why Bangladesh are not playing in T20 World Cup 2026. BCB was granted a 24 to 48-hour extension to consult with the government and come up with a decision. The ICC also stated that if Bangladesh declines, Scotland will take their place in Group C.
Asif Nazrul asserted that the country would not be forced into a decision by the ICC or the BCCI over the Bangladesh T20 World Cup controversy. Meanwhile, captain Litton Das expressed his desire to play anywhere, emphasising the importance of the World Cup opportunity despite ongoing uncertainty.
BCB media committee chairman Amjad Hossain publicly refused that they had not received any official deadline notice from ICC.
BCB suggested swapping groups with Ireland, who are scheduled to play all their group stage games in Sri Lanka. However, ICC turned it down due to logistical issues and Ireland’s lack of interest. This ultimately led ICC to set a final deadline of January 21 for confirmation. They also warned BCB that if they did not cooperate, Scotland would replace them.
An ICC delegation travelled to Dhaka to discuss the deadlock situation of the Bangladesh T20 World Cup controversy directly with BCB officials.
ICC encouraged BCB to reconsider its position, emphasising that venue changes were unfeasible so close to the tournament (with less than a month).
The ICC completed another independent security review and found no major risks associated with the team travelling to India for the Group C matches. They also mentioned that the matter of the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL cannot be brought into the mix.
BCB president Aminul Islam spoke to the media, denying reports that the ICC had given an ultimatum and expressing hope for a resolution.
The standoff deepened as ICC and BCB continued their email exchanges. ICC reiterated that no significant security risks were present at the Indian venues.
ICC denied BCB’s plea after independent security assessments found no credible threats to the Bangladesh team in India. However, this did not solve the Bangladesh T20 World Cup controversy.
ICC announced a meeting with BCB officials to discuss the T20 World Cup 2026 venue change request. The initial talks were reportedly about security issues, but the world governing body showed no immediate intention to change the T20 World Cup 2026 schedule. Doing so would have major logistical and scheduling effects on other teams and fans around the world. It would also create lasting challenges related to precedent that could threaten the neutrality, fairness, and integrity of ICC governance.
In another major step, BCB and the Bangladesh government suspended all IPL broadcasts and streaming services indefinitely in the country. They also postponed the planned tour of India, scheduled for September 26, escalating the fallout from the Mustafizur situation.
BCB formally emailed ICC, appealing to shift their Group C matches, against West Indies (Kolkata, Feb 7), Italy (Kolkata, Feb 9), England (Kolkata, Feb 14), and Nepal (Mumbai, Feb 17), to Sri Lanka, citing safety concerns for their players.
The board also announced its T20 World Cup 2026 squad, naming Litton Das as captain.
BCCI told KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad, even after signing him for INR 9.20 crore in the mini-auction held in December. The BCCI also cancelled their white-ball series against Bangladesh later this year. The decision followed political unrest in Bangladesh, and reports of violence against minorities also emerged, causing widespread anger across the country. This gave rise to the Bangladesh T20 World Cup controversy.
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