The International Cricket Council has, for now, rejected Bangladesh’s request to shift its matches away from India for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, stating that there is no concrete security threat to the Bangladeshi team.
At the same time, the Bangladesh Cricket Board clarified that the ICC has not issued any ultimatum on the matter, dismissing reports suggesting otherwise.
According to a Cricbuzz report, the issue was discussed during a virtual meeting held on Tuesday between ICC officials and representatives of the BCB. During the interaction, the ICC reportedly informed the Bangladeshi board that its security evaluations had not identified any specific or credible risks to Bangladeshi players while playing in India. Based on these assessments, the ICC conveyed that there was no basis at present to revise the tournament’s venues or schedule, the Wire reported.
The discussion followed an emergency meeting of the BCB on January 4, after which the board formally approached the ICC requesting that Bangladesh’s matches be relocated. The BCB stated that the request was made in the interest of safeguarding the safety and well-being of players, team officials, board members and other stakeholders.
An official response from the ICC is expected by January 10, the report added.
The BCB also rejected reports that it had been told to either participate as per the decided schedule or forfeit its games by the ICC.
"The BCB has also taken note of certain reports published in a section of the media suggesting that the Board has been issued an ultimatum in this regard.
"The BCB categorically states that such claims are completely false, unfounded and do not reflect the nature or content of the communication received from the ICC," it asserted.
Aminul also dismissed such reports in the press conference. "Regarding this propaganda that is going on that the ICC has informed us that playing in Sri Lanka is not possible — no such thing has happened as far as I know.
"I would call it propaganda, false news, because we are still in contact with the ICC. We have informed them of one thing, and they are asking us what the issues are," he asserted.
According to the BCB, the ICC reaffirmed its commitment to safeguarding Bangladesh’s participation and expressed readiness to collaborate closely with the Board on security-related matters.
“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has received a response from the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding the Board’s expressed concerns over the safety and security of the Bangladesh National Cricket Team in India for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, including the request for relocation of the team’s matches.
“In its communication, the ICC has reiterated its commitment to ensuring the full and uninterrupted participation of the Bangladesh team in the tournament. The ICC has conveyed its willingness to work closely with the BCB to address the concerns raised and has assured that the Board’s inputs will be welcomed and duly considered as part of the detailed security planning for the event," the BCB said in its statement.
Neither the ICC nor the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has released an official statement clarifying the outcome of the meeting.
The move followed a decision by Indian Premier League (IPL) side Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, the lone Bangladeshi player in the league. The franchise acted after receiving a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in response to reported atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh are currently slated to feature in Group C, with matches against West Indies, Italy and England scheduled in Kolkata on February 7, 9 and 14, respectively, before a final group fixture against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.