New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)’s request to relocate their T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka. The ICC has issued a strict warning to BCB, making it clear that they will have to forfeit points if the Bangladesh team refuses to play in India in the upcoming tournament.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board had formally written to the ICC last week, requesting the international body to shift its matches from India, citing security concerns. BCB’s move came in retaliation to BCCI instructing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad.
As per a report in ESPNCricinfo, ICC rejected Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to relocate their national team’s matches from India during a virtual meeting on Tuesday, January 07. The ICC informed BCB that they will have to play their matches in India or risk forfeiting points.
However, the report further stated that the BCB has denied receiving any such ultimatum from the ICC. Tuesday’s meeting was arranged by the ICC after BCB’s request to move Bangladesh’s matches out of India in the T20 World Cup 2026. There has not been any official communication yet from the ICC or the BCB on the outcome of the meeting.
As per the current schedule, Bangladesh are scheduled to play all four of their group-stage matches in the T20 World Cup 2026 in India. Bangladesh will play their first three games at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before locking horns with Nepal in their final group-stage clash at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is set to take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 07 to March 08. Bangladesh are in Group C in the tournament alongside England, West Indies, Nepal and Italy. After formally approaching the ICC, BCB were hoping for the governing body to approve a Pakistan-like hybrid model for Bangladesh, however, their request was rejected.
It all started after the BCCI directed KKR to release Mustafizur from their squad ahead of IPL 2026. Without revealing exact reasons, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia cited ‘overall developments’ as the reason behind the move. A day after BCCI’s decision, BCB wrote to the ICC, urging the world body to move their T20 World Cup matches away from India.
BCB said the decision not to send the Bangladesh team to India was taken on the recommendation of the current government, which was unsure of the team’s security. The Bangladesh government also banned the telecast of IPL and all promotional stuff to the tournament in the country on Tuesday.
While BCCI refused to delve into details, it is understood that the Indian cricket board instructed KKR to release Mustafizur amid heavy backlash on social media over the ongoing violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. As per ESPNCricinfo, the IPL governing council or top BCCI officials never met to discuss the decision, and it is not known who, other than Saikia, was involved in the Mustafizur decision.
