The International Cricket Council (ICC) has clearly hinted to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that altering the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule is impractical with the tournament just a month away. This follows a conference call on January 6 involving senior ICC officials and BCB representatives, prompted by the BCB’s recent communication expressing reluctance to travel to India due to safety concerns.
Bangladesh, placed in Group C alongside England, West Indies, Italy, and Nepal, are scheduled to play their first three group-stage matches at Eden Gardens in Kolkata –
against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 –
followed by their final group fixture against Nepal at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 17. If the team advances to the Super Eights, additional matches would follow.
The BCB’s position intensified after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman, the sole Bangladeshi player signed for IPL 2026, from the franchise. The BCCI did not cite security as the reason for the release.
While the BCB has denied reports of an ICC ultimatum on participation, sources indicate that during the January 6 discussions, the ICC highlighted the near-impossibility of rescheduling at this late stage. Instead, the governing body offered to conduct a thorough review of security and logistics to alleviate concerns. Further meetings are planned this week, with the BCB expected to send an additional formal email to the ICC soon. A resolution is anticipated by the end of this week or early next.
In its press release, the BCB stated: “The Board will continue constructive engagement with the ICC and relevant event authorities in a cooperative and professional manner to arrive at an affable and practical solution that ensures the smooth and successful participation of the team in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026”.
However, on Wednesday, Bangladesh’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul remarked to local media: “On the matter of our cricketers’ safety, Bangladesh’s safety, and Bangladesh’s dignity – we will not make any compromise. We want to play cricket, we want to play in the World Cup. Another host country is Sri Lanka; we want to play there. In this position (of not playing in India) we are firm. We hope we will be able to make the ICC understand this. The ICC will consider our arguments impartially and will give us the opportunity to play in the T20 World Cup that we have worked hard to achieve.”
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BCB president Animul Islam Bulbul told journalists: “Bangladesh is firm on not going to play the T20 World Cup in India. A letter will be sent to the ICC again today or tomorrow.”
Such statements have similarities to past stances, such as Pakistan’s ahead of the 2023 ODI World Cup, where strong public declarations were followed by participation. With Bangladesh’s general election scheduled for February 12, such statements may aim to resonate domestically while negotiations continue.
The BCB’s case lacks precedents of specific threats to players or proven security lapses in India, which has hosted multiple global events successfully, including the 2023 ODI World Cup attended by Pakistan amid strained relations.
Historical walkovers in ICC tournaments – Sri Lanka vs Australia (Colombo, February 17, 1996) and Sri Lanka vs West Indies (Colombo, February 26, 1996) due to a bombing in Colombo; Zimbabwe vs England (Harare, February 13, 2003) amid political tensions; and Kenya vs New Zealand (Nairobi, February 21, 2003) following Mombasa terror attacks – stemmed from documented major incidents, unlike the present scenario.
The T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, runs from February 7 to March 8, featuring 20 teams across 55 matches. Meanwhile, the ICC is set to retain their stance of not rejigging the T20 World Cup schedule and will instead focus on providing additional security to the Bangladesh team so that the tournament can go ahead without any problems.
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