BCB firm on stance that Bangladesh won't travel to India for T20 World Cup

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has said it remains firm in its stance to not play their 2026 T20 World Cup matches in India due to security concerns. The BCB released a statement on Tuesday, following a video conference with the ICC, reiterating its request to move Bangladesh's matches outside India.

The 2026 T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka is scheduled to begin on February 7. Bangladesh are currently scheduled to play their first three matches in Kolkata and their final group game in Mumbai. The country's sports adviser Asif Nazrul has been at the forefront of demands to move Bangladesh's games out of India.

"During the discussions, the BCB reaffirmed its position regarding the decision not to travel to India, citing security concerns," the BCB said in a statement. "The board also reiterated its request for the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh's matches outside India.

"While the ICC highlighted that the tournament itinerary has already been announced and requested the BCB to reconsider its stance, the board's position remains unchanged. Both parties agreed that discussions will continue to explore possible solutions. The BCB remains committed to safeguarding the well-being of its players, officials and staff while engaging constructively with the ICC to address the matter."

The BCB was represented on the call by the board president Aminul Islam, vice presidents Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, director and chairman of the cricket operations committee Nazmul Abedeen, and chief executive officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

On Monday, the ICC had shared a security assessment which indicated no specific or heightened threat to the Bangladesh cricket team in India for the 2026 T20 World Cup. The assessment was shared with the BCB's security team and concluded there was no overall threat to the side, but pointed to low to moderate risks in some venues and low to nil in others - standard ICC categorisations around the world that do not ordinarily constitute sufficient reason to move games.

The problem of Bangladesh playing in India arose once the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur from its IPL 2026 squad. No reason has been specified for that, though relations between the two countries have deteriorated of late.

Following Mustafizur's removal, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL in the country, and the BCB sent a letter to the ICC refusing to play its T20 World Cup matches in India.