The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been urged by the ICC to make a decision by January 21 over whether to participate in the T20 World Cup starting on February 7 in India or “risk being replaced by another team”.
Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the 2026 Indian Premier League on the BCCI’s orders due to undefined “developments all around.” Despite the back and forth between the ICC and BCB, the problem has not been resolved.
“The BCB officials have been told to decide on the participation by January 21. If they refuse to travel to India, then they should be ready to be replaced by another team as per rankings,” a PTI report quoted a ICC source as saying.
The BCB has declared that its national team would not travel to India for its group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai, citing security concerns and national pride.
The ICC has shown reluctance to move Bangladesh’s games to co-host Sri Lanka, where the major India-Pakistan match will take place in accordance with the mutually agreed arrangement for ICC events till 2027, despite the fact that the event calendar has already been finalized.
Based on current standings, Scotland would probably be the replacement team if Bangladesh remained uncompromising. Bangladesh will play one league match in Mumbai and three in Kolkata.
In order to accommodate its games in Sri Lanka, the BCB has insisted on either changing the venue or the teams. As of right now, Bangladesh is grouped with the West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal in Group C.
The BCB suggested that Bangladesh and Ireland be switched in Group B with Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman, and Zimbabwe during their most recent meeting with ICC representatives in Dhaka. A move like this would enable the squad to play all of its league games from Sri Lanka.
“The possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB had stated after the meeting on Saturday.
The ICC’s risk assessment study did not identify any particular or direct threat to the squad if it competes in the competition, despite the BCB’s belief that it is risky for its players to travel to India.
The murders of Hindus in Bangladesh have worsened India-Bangladesh bilateral relations.
Both current Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto and former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal have warned against taking a very strict stance on the contentious issue, with the former stating that actions made now would have consequences ten years hence.
