BCB's T20 World Cup 2026 chaos: ICC makes big move as Bangladesh government firm on ‘not travelling to India' stance

An International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation is set to visit Bangladesh soon to have a discussion with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the government officials over their participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to start in India and Sri Lanka, from February 7.

The BCB has written a letter to the ICC, stating their decision yo not travel to India for the mega event citing security issues. The development came after Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on BCCI's orders. Although ICC and BCB exchanged emails, the Bangladesh board remained firm on their stance.

The news of ICC's Bangladesh visit was confirmed by sports adviser Asif Nazrul on Thursday, thus making it clear that the national team are keen to participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 but play all their matches on Sri Lankan soil. Notably, Pakistan will play all their games in Sri Lanka.

“According to the latest updates, Mr. Aminul Islam (BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul) informed me that an ICC team is likely to come to Bangladesh for discussions," Nazrul told media while speaking at the Foreign Service Academy.

"There is no chance of us changing our stance. We are eager to play in the World Cup, particularly in Sri Lanka, and I strongly believe that organising this is not impossible,” added Nazrul.

However, the date is ICC's visit to Bangladesh is yet to be known. “We are in discussions, and a delegation is set to arrive, but the exact date has not been determined. We are in communication, but the time is not fixed,” Bangladesh's news outlet Daily Star quoted a BCB official as saying.

What happened during ICC-BCB meeting?

Earlier, BCB had a discussion with the ICC and released a statement reiterating that it won't travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026. “During the discussions, the BCB reaffirmed its position regarding the decision not to travel to India, citing security concerns," BCB said.

"The Board also reiterated its request for the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh's matches outside India. While the ICC highlighted that the tournament itinerary has already been announced and requested the BCB to reconsider its stance, the Board's position remains unchanged.”

The BCB also emphasized that both the cricket board and the ICC have agreed to “explore possible solutions”.