Bangladesh has reiterated it will not play its matches in India at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, insisting its fixtures be shifted to Sri Lanka despite the International Cricket Council rejecting the request.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it will continue discussions with the ICC but maintained that it will not travel to India for the tournament, which is scheduled to begin in February.
“ICC had denied us our request to shift our matches away from India. We are not sure about the status of world cricket. Its popularity is going down. They have locked away 200 million people. Cricket is going to the Olympics, but if a country like us is not going there, it is ICC’s failure,” a senior BCB official said.
The official added that Bangladesh wants to participate in the tournament but will not play in India, criticising the ICC’s handling of the situation.
“We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we won’t play in India. We will keep fighting. There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They were the sole decision makers in that issue,” the official said.
The ICC has reportedly issued Bangladesh a deadline to confirm its participation and warned that the team could be replaced if it refuses to travel, raising the prospect of a major political and sporting standoff ahead of the tournament. (Newswire)