BANGLADESH HAS RULED OUT playing in India at the T20 World Cup 2026, citing concerns over player safety following the removal of senior pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL), the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said.
Amid escalating political tensions between the two neighbours, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The board has also sought an explanation regarding Rahman’s sudden exclusion from the IPL, according to a statement released on Sunday.
Relations between India and Bangladesh have deteriorated in recent weeks after a 25-year-old Hindu man was lynched and publicly burned in Bangladesh over allegations of blasphemy.
“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 BCB said.
Bangladesh are scheduled to play all their group-stage matches in India, with three games slated for Eden Gardens in Kolkata on 7, 9 and 14 February, and one fixture at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on 17 February.
According to a report in The Indian Express, the ICC has already begun working on a revised tournament schedule. Reworking the T20 World Cup fixtures is expected to pose significant logistical challenges for organisers, with the tournament set to begin in just under a month on February 7.
It is learnt that the BCB’s move followed strong objections from the Bangladesh government to the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s (BCCI) decision to remove Rahman from the IPL.
Asif Nazrul, adviser for Youth and Sports in the Mohammad Yunus-led interim government, took to Facebook to express his stance, saying, “We won’t stand for any insult to Bangladesh’s cricket, cricketers and the country. The days of slavery are over.”
He also confirmed that he had written to the relevant authorities seeking a halt to the broadcast of the IPL in Bangladesh, following which the country’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry imposed an indefinite ban on the league’s broadcast.
