Bangladesh government’s sport adviser Asif Nazrul has claimed that the International Cricket Council (ICC) security team has written to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), confirming that Bangladesh shouldn’t travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, citing security concerns.
ICC backs Bangladesh?
BCB had written to ICC twice about relocating their group-stage matches from Kolkata and Mumbai to outside India. They hadn’t received a response from the ICC regarding the matter. That was until now.
“We have sent two letters (to the ICC), after which the ICC security team have sent a letter. They have said that if three things happen, the security threat of the Bangladesh team (in India) will increase. One, if Mustafiz (Mustafizur Rahman) is included in the Bangladesh team. Two, if the supporters of the Bangladesh team roam around in the national jersey of Bangladesh, which is our national jersey. Three, the security threat of the Bangladesh team will increase as the (Bangladesh) elections approach,” Nazrul said on Monday.
The Bangladesh sports advisor stated that if the ICC can assure that Mustafizur Rahman, who was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), would be available for selection and their fans would be allowed to travel in India without fear of safety, then BCB will send the Bangladesh team over to India.
“So this statement of the ICC security team has proven beyond a doubt that there is no situation for the Bangladesh cricket team to play the T20 World Cup in India. If the ICC expects us to make a cricket team without our best bowler, our supporters will not be able to wear the Bangladesh jersey, and we will postpone the Bangladesh elections to play cricket, then there can be no more bizarre, unrealistic and unreasonable expectation than this,” he added.
Mistake on BCB’s part?
However, according to NDTV, the ICC hasn’t confirmed writing a letter to the BCB. The letter from the security team was part of an interdepartmental note and shouldn’t be considered as an official response to BCB’s request for relocation of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches.
It was previously reported that the ICC aren’t convinced by BCB’s argument about fear of safety in India, where several cricket events have been hosted without any issues. The ICC is expected to officially respond to BCB’s request by Tuesday, January 13.
Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date | Teams | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sat, Feb 7, 2026 | West Indies vs Bangladesh | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| Mon, Feb 9, 2026 | Bangladesh vs Italy | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 11:00 AM |
| Sat, Feb 14, 2026 | England vs Bangladesh | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| Tue, Feb 17, 2026 | Bangladesh vs Nepal | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7:00 PM |
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