The International Cricket Council (ICC) has once again made it clear that the upcoming T20 World Cup, which begins next month in India and Sri Lanka, will proceed according to the schedule released last November, despite multiple requests for a venue change from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in recent weeks. The ICC, in its independent security review, has not identified any genuine risk to the safety of the Bangladesh team that is set to travel to India.
Asif Nazrul, Adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sports, during a media interaction on Tuesday said that the cricket board had received a letter from the ICC’s security team warning of potential security concerns for the Bangladesh team due to the inclusion of Mustafizur Rahman in their T20 World Cup squad. He further claimed that the ICC security team also observed Bangladesh’s supporters, wearing the national team’s jerseys, while moving around in India, could face safety risks.
According to sources, the ICC have made it clear that it never suggested any of the teams should select or exclude players for security reasons, and that the supporters should be restricted from wearing the national colours.
Later in the day, a media release from BCB stated that the advisory for the Ministry of Youth and Sports was in reference to an internal communication between the BCB and the ICC’s Security Department related to threat assessments for the Bangladesh team. This does not constitute a formal response from the ICC to the BCB’s request for the relocation of Bangladesh’s matches outside India.
The BCB reiterated that it formally raised concerns regarding venue arrangements and it has requested relocation of the national team’s matches outside India in the interest of the team’s security. The Board confirmed that it is still awaiting an official response from the ICC on this matter.
Meanwhile, the ICC made it clear that the security plan for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 remains under continuous review. Participating members, including the BCB, are being consulted as part of this process, and the ICC remains open to constructive dialogue and feedback to further strengthen arrangements where it is appropriate.
The match schedule has been finalised and published, and the ICC expects all participating teams to meet their obligations under the Terms of Participation, the source added. In their respective group, Bangladesh are slated to play three games at Eden Gardens and one at the Wankhede Stadium.
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