After emergency meeting, BCB decides to not send Bangladesh team to India
Board formally requests ICC to shift all of its matches to Sri Lanka
ICC will need to address issue as Bangladesh scheduled to play all four leagues games in India
It's official. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has on Sunday (January 4) confirmed its decision of not sending its national team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, citing security concerns and government advice. The move follows Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders' (KKR) release of left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman on the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI)'s directive.
Rahman's sudden dropping from the IPL led the BCB to call an emergency meeting of the Board of Directors, who decided that the national team will not travel to to India for the ICC T20 World Cup, starting February 7.
The board has hence approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift all of Bangladesh's matches to Sri Lanka.
"The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India," a BCB media release read.
"Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions."
ICC will need to address the issue as Bangladesh are scheduled to play all four of their leagues games in India.
"In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh matches to a venue outside India (co host Sri Lanka)," read the statement further.
"The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter."
Even before the BCB issued a statement, government advisor Asif Nazrul wrote in a Facebook post that the board has taken the call to not send its team to India. "Bangladesh will not go to India to play World Cup. Bangladesh Cricket Board has taken this decision today. We welcome this decision taken in the context of the violent communal policy of the Cricket Board of India," read a translated version of his post in Bengali.
Following the BCB emergency meeting, Nazrul instructed the board to ask Jay Shah-led ICC to shift Bangladesh's four league games -- three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai -- to Sri Lanka.
"As the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Control Board to put the entire matter in writing and explain it to the ICC," Nazrul wrote in Bengali on his Facebook page.
"The board must make it clear that if a Bangladeshi cricketer, despite being under contract, cannot play in India, then the Bangladesh national team cannot feel safe travelling to India to play the World Cup.
"I have also directed the board to formally request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka instead," he further wrote.
The Shah Rukh Khan co-owned IPL franchise KKR released Mustafizur, who was bought for INR 9.20 crore after a bidding war at the December 2025 auction in Abu Dhabi, following BCCI's instruction.
The India-Bangladesh relationship has significantly soured after the ouster of Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August 2025 following anti-government protests. She was sentenced to death in absentia by a tribunal for her alleged role in a deadly crackdown during the agitation, in which several students were killed.
Sports Advisor Wants IPL Broadcast To Be Suspended In Bangladesh
Nazrul said that he has requested Bangladesh's information and broadcasting ministry to ensure that broadcast of IPL in Bangladesh is suspended.
"I have requested the minister for information and broadcasting to ensure that the broadcast of the IPL in Bangladesh is also suspended. Under no circumstances will we tolerate any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers, or Bangladesh itself. The days of servitude are over," he said.
"The BCB announced the schedule for India's tour of Bangladesh because there was a sense of positivity but now we need to get an official confirmation from the Indian board as to why Mustafizur's contract was cancelled," a PTI report quoted a BCB source as saying.
(With PTI inputs)
