The International Cricket Council (ICC) is unwilling to take a hasty decision on Bangladesh’s plea to shift their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka. This comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wrote to the global body raising security concerns for their players in India and seeking relocation of their games. Bangladesh’s knee-jerk reaction came after the BCCI instructed IPL franchise KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman amid soaring tensions between the two countries.
Why ICC may not shift Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches
As per Cricbuzz, ICC officials believe that the global body shouldn’t be dragged into the issue as it was a battle between the BCCI and the BCB. The report states that ICC will not make a hasty decision and will instead explain the constraints in relocating the matches to the Bangladesh Cricket Board. Additionally, the report also claims that the BCCI, as a co-host, will have a major say in the matter. This update comes just after the same report initially claimed that the ICC may be open to considering Bangladesh’s request.
As per the original T20 WC schedule, Bangladesh are scheduled to play three matches in Kolkata and one game in Mumbai in the group stage. Earlier on Saturday, a BCCI source had said that relocating the games to Sri Lanka would be a logistical nightmare for both the organizers and the broadcaster as the request was made in the last-minute.
BCB’s statement
“An emergency meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was held this afternoon to discuss recent developments related to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be hosted by 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.
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.
In light of this decision, the 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 Board believes that such a step is necessary to safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, Board members and other stakeholders and to ensure that the team can participate in the tournament in a secure and appropriate environment.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter,” BCB said in a statement.
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