T20 World Cup: Bangladesh Stand Firm On Not Travelling To India Amid ICC's Ouster Ultimatum

Holding firm on its stance of not travelling to India for the T20 World Cup, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday (January 22, 2026) said it would go back to the International Cricket Council (ICC) with its request to relocate the national team's matches to Sri Lanka.

The global governing body had earlier rejected BCB's demand, and told the board that Bangladesh will be replaced by another team, likely Scotland, at the tournament if their stance does not shift. Bangladesh had been served an ultimatum by the world body on Wednesday to either agree to travel to India or risk being replaced as there was no credible threat to the safety of their players, officials or fans there.

At a press conference following a meeting between sports adviser Asif Nazrul, BCB and Bangladesh cricketers in Dhaka, BCB president Aminul Islam said: "We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka. They did give us a 24 hour ultimatum but a global body can't really do that.

"ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup. It will be their loss ... ICC is calling Sri Lanka co-hosts. They are not co-hosts. It is a hybrid model. Some of the things I heard in the ICC meeting was shocking."

Nazrul added: "We are hopeful that ICC will give us the opportunity to play in Sri Lanka. It is our government who has decided not to go to India.

"It is crucial to weigh the loss of not playing against the potential catastrophe of pushing players, fans, and journalists into a risky regional political situation. This is a government decision, as the state is responsible for determining whether its citizens face security risks abroad."

Bangladesh are slated to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai). The country raised security concerns after seamer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League on the Indian cricket board's (BCCI) instructions for unspecified "developments all around."

Bangladesh's Group Stage Schedule

West Indies: February 7, Kolkata

Italy: February 9, Kolkata

England: February 14, Kolkata

Nepal: February 17, Mumbai

The ICC on Wednesday refused to accept BCB's security concerns, saying that the board was repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a "single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player's involvement in a domestic league."

"In the absence of any independent security findings that materially compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team, the ICC is unable to relocate fixtures," the ICC had stated.

(With PTI inputs)