The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has offered the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move them in a different group as the their T20 World Cup 2026 row takes a fresh turn on Saturday. The development took place during a meeting between the BCB and ICC in Dhaka.
A two-member ICC delegation was scheduled to travel to Dhaka to have a meeting with the BCB officials. Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, was unable to attend the meeting in person as his visa was received later than anticipated. He joined virtually.
Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit, attended the meeting in person. BCB Md Aminul Islam was present in the meeting along with other BCB office bearers. Like previously, BCB stood firm on their stance of not travelling to India for the T20 World Cup 2026.
“During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The Board also shared the Bangladesh Government’s views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders,” BCB said.
“Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the statement further added. India and Sri Lanka are the co-hosts of the T20 World Cup 2026, starting on February 7.
Why is Bangladesh refusing to travel to India?
It all stemmed after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) following orders from the BCCI. As a protest, BCB wrote a letter to the ICC, stating that won't travel to India citing security concerns and also requested the apex body to shift their matches to a neutral venue.
The ICC reportedly had requested the BCB to change their T20 World Cup 2026 stance, but the BCB stood firm. With BCB's request coming just a month before the tournament, it would be a logistical nightmare for the ICC to shift Bangladesh's matches at the last moment.
Bangladesh have been put in Group C along with England, West Indies, Italy and Nepal. In the group stage, Bangladesh will play three games at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens while one of the game is scheduled at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.
