Overview:
Bangladesh are in Group C alongside West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal. They will play three matches at the Eden Gardens.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to shift their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka. The BCB has refused to play in India after Mustafizur Rahman was released from the Indian Premier League 2026.
According to a report in ESPNCricinfo, the ICC officials met on Tuesday to discuss the issue and informed Bangladesh that their plea to shift their matches is without a valid reason and the BCCI has already promised to provide security. According to BCB, they haven’t received any confirmation from the apex body of international cricket.
Under the ICC rules and regulations, if a team declines to play a global tournament in the host country, there is a risk of sanctions and losing points. If Bangladesh refuse to play the T20 World Cup matches in India, they will get no points, meaning a group stage exit from the competition.
Bangladesh are in Group C alongside West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal. They will play three matches at the Eden Gardens on February 7 (vs West Indies), February 9 (vs Italy) and February 14 (vs England). Bangladesh’s final group game against Nepal is on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Earlier, the Indian Cricket Board had said that relocating the T20 World Cup matches would be a logistical nightmare. “You can’t change the schedule at the last moment. It is a logistical nightmare. Tickets and hotels are already booked,” news agency PTI quoted a BCCI source as saying.
“Three games will be played on all days, meaning one contest in Sri Lanka. The broadcast crew is also involved. It will not be easy,” the source added.