07 January,2026 01:27 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Bangladesh cricket team (Pic: AFP)
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has requested that the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) request to move all of their T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka, according to ESPNCricinfo.
The report stated that during a virtual call between the ICC and BCB, the international cricket body rejected the Bangladesh board's request to shift its matches outside India due to security concerns.
It further added that ICC have told BCB that their cricket team will need to play all of their World Cup matches in India or risk losing points.
So far, there has been no official statement issued by the BCB or ICC.
The Bengal Tigers will open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. They will then lock horns against Italy on February 9 at the same venue.
The side will clash against England on February 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Later, their face-off with Nepal is scheduled to be played on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
Earlier, the BCB said that the team would not travel to India for the marquee tournament due to growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent.
This came after the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for the IPL 2026. Kolkata acquired the pacer's services for Rs 9.20 crore at the IPL auction. The Kolkata-based franchise was instructed by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to release the pacer following the atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
KKR's decision came after the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that the apex cricket board has instructed the IPL franchise to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman "due to the recent developments.
"Due to the recent developments which are going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement," Devaijit Saikia had told ANI.
(With ANI Inputs)
