After Pakistan, Bangladesh want its T20 WC matches to be staged outside India

After Pakistan, Bangladesh has become the latest and second cricketing nation to deny playing in India at the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. Following the tense weekend, where first, the BCCI ordered IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi seamer Mustafizur Rahman over ‘recent developments’ in the neighbouring country, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) retaliated by deciding against travelling to India, venue for their four group stage matches, for the marquee event.

This decision has come on the back of an emergency BCB meeting on Sunday (Jan 4), where they decided to formally request the ICC to host Bangladesh’s matches outside India (in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament). The BCB cited security reasons under the 'current circumstances', while also considering the advice from Bangladesh’s interim government.

Meanwhile, Kolkata (three games) and Mumbai (one game) were two venues for Bangladesh’s four league matches during the T20 WC in India and Sri Lanka.

"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,” a BCB statement said.

“In light of this decision, BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India,” the BCB said, “The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter.”

The decision was made “to safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, board members and other stakeholders,” the statement further added.

Per a report in Times of India (TOI), the BCB held back-to-back meetings over the weekend, reviewing Rahman’s IPL situation alongside bringing up two more in their concern call before the ICC, including the current security situation in India and the reasons behind BCCI picking on Bangladeshi players in the IPL and around their safety.

What is next?

Following Rahman’s IPL 2026 exit, Bangladesh’s sports minister and law advisor Asif Nazrul requested ICC to reallocate his team’s scheduled group games (in India) to Sri Lanka. On Saturday, he said that the BCB strongly condemns and protests BCCI’s call, and the next day, he welcomed the board’s decision not to travel to India, citing security concerns.

“I strongly condemn and protest this. As the adviser in charge of the sports ministry, I have asked the cricket control board to explain the entire matter to ICC and write to it,” Nazrul said on Saturday night.

“We welcome this decision taken in the context of the radical communal policies of the Indian cricket board,” his statement on Sunday (following BCB’s decision) read.

Moreover, after Nazrul requested the Information and Broadcasting Ministry not to telecast IPL 2026, I&B advisor Syeda Rizwana Hasan said on Sunday that any decision (around it) would only be taken after reviewing the legal basis and thoroughly examining relevant procedures.

The publication also claims that the BCCI discussed this matter with the ICC, seeking the best way to resolve the logistical nightmare.