What happens if ICC doesn't accept Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 request & BCB stays firm? All scenarios explained

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been put in a fix after the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) refusal to travel to India to play in the T20 World Cup 2026 next month. The decision by the BCB came after Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) last week.

Mustafizur's ouster from the IPL came after a BCCI directive to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release the Bangladesh left-arm quick “due to recent developments going across” amid the political storm between the two countries. KKR had bought Mustafizur for ₹9.20 crore last month.

Angered by Mustafizur's removal, the BCB "formally requested the ICC, as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.” Placed in Group C, Bangladesh were to play three matches at Eden Gardens in Kolkata (vs Italy, England, West Indies) and one at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium (vs Nepal).

Sri Lanka co-hosts the T20 World Cup 2026, with Pakistan playing all their games on Lankan soil. With just a month left until the big event starts, revising the tournament schedule is a big task for ICC, as it involves huge logistical nightmares, which include flight tickets and hotel bookings for the entire contingents.

It's not only about Bangladesh, but the ICC has to make arrangements for their opposition teams too. While the ball is now in the ICC's court, it remains to be seen how the apex body, headed by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, handles the whole situation.

If ICC turns down BCB's request

• In case the ICC turns down BCB's request, Bangladesh will not feature in the T20 World Cup for the first time in history. Then, the T20 World Cup 2026 will be played with 19 teams, with England, Nepal, Italy and West Indies, all getting one walkover each in Group C.
• Another option could be for ICC to replace Bangladesh with another team, something they did in 2009 and 2016.

In the 2009 T20 World Cup, Scotland replaced Zimbabwe after the latter pulled out a year prior. In the 2016 U-19 World Cup, Ireland replaced Australia, who pulled out just 22 days before. During the 1996 ODI World Cup, Australia and the West Indies refused to travel to Sri Lanka due to security reasons. Sri Lanka had gotten walkovers against those two teams.

In 2003, England and New Zealand skipped their ODI World Cup matches in Kenya and Zimbabwe, citing security concerns, resulting in walkovers. Kenya and Zimbabwe co-hosted the 2003 World Cup.

Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 schedule