NEW DELHI, Delhi — The International Cricket Council on Wednesday confirmed that Bangladesh’s matches in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup will be held in India as originally scheduled, rejecting a request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board to shift the fixtures to Sri Lanka.
The decision followed an ICC Board meeting conducted via video conference, involving all member boards. The BCB had sought a change in venues after the Board of Control for Cricket in India directed the Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad amid strained relations between the two countries.
In a statement, the ICC said its decision was based on detailed security assessments, including independent reviews, which found no credible threat to the safety of Bangladesh players, officials, media, or fans at any of the tournament venues in India.
“Over the past several weeks, the ICC has engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue, with the clear objective of enabling Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament,” an ICC spokesperson said.
“During this period, the ICC has shared detailed inputs, including independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans, and formal assurances from the host authorities, all of which consistently concluded that there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.”
The ICC said the BCB nevertheless maintained its position, linking participation in the tournament to what the council described as an unrelated domestic league issue.
“Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated, and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league. This linkage has no bearing on the tournament’s security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” the spokesperson said.
Under the confirmed schedule, Bangladesh will play West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before facing Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
The ICC also said that making changes so close to the tournament was not feasible and warned that altering fixtures without a substantiated security risk could set a precedent that undermines the neutrality of future ICC events.
The governing body said it held extensive discussions with the BCB, including sharing detailed security plans and host government assurances, and cited an in-person meeting in Dhaka on January 17 led by Andrew Ephgrave, ICC General Manager for the Integrity Unit, with Gaurav Saxena, General Manager for Events and Corporate Communications, joining virtually.
“The ICC’s venue and scheduling decisions are guided by objective threat assessments, host guarantees, and the tournament’s agreed terms of participation, which apply uniformly to all 20 competing nations,” the spokesperson said.
“In the absence of any independent security findings that materially compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team, the ICC is unable to relocate fixtures.”
“Doing so would carry significant logistical and scheduling consequences for other teams and fans worldwide, and would also create far-reaching precedent-related challenges that risk undermining the neutrality, fairness, and integrity of ICC governance. The ICC remains committed to acting in good faith, upholding consistent standards, and safeguarding the collective interests of the global game,” the spokesperson added.
If Bangladesh were to withdraw from the tournament, Scotland are expected to replace them. Scotland are currently ranked 14th in T20 internationals and are the highest-ranked team not already qualified for the event. (Source: IANS)
