ICC rejects Bangladesh request to move T20 World Cup matches from India: Reports

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to shift Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo.

The report said a virtual meeting took place on Tuesday between officials of the ICC and the BCB, during which the ICC informed the Bangladesh board that its request to relocate the matches outside India on security grounds had not been accepted.

The ICC reportedly conveyed that Bangladesh’s senior men’s national team would be required to travel to India for its scheduled fixtures or risk forfeiting points in the tournament.

However, neither the ICC nor the BCB has issued an official statement confirming the outcome of the meeting. The virtual call was arranged after the BCB wrote to the ICC on Sunday, seeking reconsideration of Bangladesh’s match venues for the T20 World Cup 2026, citing safety concerns, ESPNcricinfo reported.

Bangladesh are scheduled to begin their T20 World Cup campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. They are then set to face Italy on February 9 at the same venue, followed by a match against 2022 champions England, also in Kolkata.

After these fixtures, the Bangladesh team is scheduled to travel to Mumbai to play Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium. The tournament is set to open on February 7 with a match between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo.

Earlier, the BCB had formally requested the ICC to move Bangladesh’s matches to venues outside India, citing “safety and security” concerns for its players. In a press release, the BCB stated that it would not send the national team to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is being jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, due to “growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent.”

“An emergency meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was held this afternoon to discuss recent developments related to the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka,” the BCB said in its release.

“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,” it added.

“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 release said.

The developments come in the backdrop of Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) announcing that they had removed Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad following a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

KKR’s decision followed comments by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, who said the board had instructed the franchise to release the Bangladesh player “due to the recent developments.”

“Due to the recent developments which are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement,” Saikia told ANI.

The inclusion of the Bangladeshi pacer had earlier triggered political reactions in India amid reports of attacks on Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Mustafizur Rahman was picked by the three-time IPL champions during the IPL 2026 auction in December for ₹9.20 crore.