Bangladesh refuses to travel to India for T20 World Cup 2026, seeks ICC’s intervention for relocation of matches
Although the BCCI did not explicitly cite the current relations between the two countries for its decision to seek Rahman’s release on Saturday, it did say that the move was triggered by the recent unrest in Bangladesh.
Rahman’s ouster from the IPL prompted the BCB to call an emergency meeting on Saturday night, and a day later, it announced that the Board of Directors met again and decided that the national team would not travel to India for the T20 World Cup beginning February 7.
“The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India,” said the BCB in a statement.
“Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions.”
The International Cricket Council (ICC) will need to address the issue as Bangladesh is scheduled to play all four of its leagues games in India.
Like the arrangement with Pakistan, Bangladesh wants all of its matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka, the co-host of the tournament.
“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the ICC, as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India (co-host Sri Lanka),” read the statement further.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter.”
Even before the BCB issued a statement, government advisor Asif Nazrul declared in a Facebook post that the board had decided not to send its team to India.
“Bangladesh will not go to India to play World Cup. Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken this decision today. We welcome this decision taken in the context of the violent communal policy of the Cricket Board of India,” read a translated version of his post in Bengali.
Following the BCB emergency meeting, Nazrul instructed the board to ask the Jay Shah-led ICC to shift Bangladesh’s four league games—three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai—to Sri Lanka.
“As the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to put the entire matter in writing and explain it to the ICC,” Nazrul wrote in Bengali on his Facebook page.
“The board must make it clear that if a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, cannot play in India, then the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup.
“I have also directed the board to formally request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka instead,” he further wrote.
KKR released the Bangladesh left-arm pacer, who was bought for Rs. 9.20 crore after a bidding war at last month’s auction in Abu Dhabi.
Published on Jan 04, 2026
Discover more from News Link360
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
