Bangladesh refuse to travel to India for T20 World Cup after Mustafizur Rahman row; BCB requests ICC for venue change

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on 4 January officially wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC), saying that it will not send its players to India for next month's T20 World Cup 2026, citing security reasons. The development followed the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) directing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from its Indian Premier League (IPL) squad for the next season.

Mustafizur was bought by the three-time IPL champions KKR for ₹9.20 crore at the mini-auction last month. However, the decision to remove Mustafizur from IPL 2026 came after political leaders and some religious groups targeted the franchise owner, actor Shah Rukh Khan, amid the ongoing turmoil between the two countries.

“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,” BCB said in a statement.

“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 statement further added.

Along with India, Sri Lanka are the co-host of the T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, Pakistan will be playing all their games in the tournament on the Lankan venues. According to the original schedule, Bangladesh are slated to play three of the four Group C games at the iconic Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The other game will be played at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium.

Why are India-Bangladesh relations not good?

The strained relations between the two countries started last year when former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following nationwide protests against her.

Things aggravated last month after a Hindu factory worker, Dipu Chandra Das, was beaten to death and set on fire by a crowd in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district. PTI reported 12 people were arrested in connection with the gruesome incident.

After KKR snapped up Mustafizur on 16 December at the mini-auction, questions were raised about the inclusion of the Bangladesh pacer in the IPL, with BJP leader Sangeet Som, who is a former MLA from Uttar Pradesh, calling Shah Rukh a “traitor”.

Mustafizur in Bangladesh's T20 WC squad

Meanwhile, on Sunday, the left-arm pacer was named in the 15-member squad for the global tournament, led by Litton Das. Bangladesh have been clubbed with West Indies, Nepal, Italy and England in Group C.

Bangladesh Squad: Litton Das (C), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shaif Uddin, Shoriful Islam

Bangladesh T20 World Cup group schedule