Overview:
According to sources, the governing body finds no valid reason for relocating the matches. The situation has become more critical as the tournament draws near.
The ICC has told the Bangladesh Cricket Board to play their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India or risk being replaced by a lower-ranked team. Sources indicate that Bangladesh has to make a decision by January, after which the ICC will look to replace them with a lower-ranked team.
The ICC issued a warning shortly after Bangladesh put forward a bold suggestion, asking the global governing body to change their group in the T20 World Cup. This proposal was made public by the Bangladesh Cricket Board after their talks with an ICC delegation, which had visited Bangladesh to discuss the current issues surrounding the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
The main issue stems from Bangladesh’s current refusal to play their scheduled group-stage games in India. The 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, set to take place from February 7 to March 8, 2026.
The fixtures of Bangladesh, announced by the ICC in November, have placed them in a group whose matches scheduled at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium. The Bangladesh Cricket Board has highlighted security concerns, stating that they do not wish the team to travel to India for the tournament.
The ICC, however, has made it clear that it is not willing to make last-minute changes to the tournament schedule. According to sources, the governing body finds no valid reason for relocating the matches. The situation has become more critical as the tournament draws near, leading the ICC to initiate direct talks with the BCB in an attempt to prevent a crisis that could set a negative precedent.
The current standoff started after the BCCI told Kolkata Knight Riders to terminate Mustafizur Rahman’s contract on January 3, citing developments all around amid political backlash in India over reports of violence against minorities in Bangladesh.
Following Mustafizur’s release, the BCB convened an emergency meeting to address the situation and then contacted the ICC, raising concerns about the safety of its players. The BCB also pointed to Pakistan’s participation in ICC events under a hybrid model to justify their request.
As tensions escalated, Bangladesh took additional measures by imposing a ban on the broadcast of the IPL 2026 season in the country.