New Delhi/Dhaka: Bangladesh will not take part in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after the International Cricket Council (ICC) refused to move the team’s matches out of India, the Bangladesh government and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) confirmed on Thursday.
The decision comes a day after the International Cricket Council board, in a 14-2 vote on January 21, rejected the BCB’s request to shift Bangladesh’s fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai to Sri Lanka. With the ICC ruling out any change in the schedule so close to the tournament, Bangladesh has effectively withdrawn from the event scheduled to begin on February 7 in Kolkata.
Bangladesh Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said the decision was taken after a high-level meeting with national team players and officials in Dhaka. “We all wanted to participate in the T20 World Cup and our cricketers worked hard to qualify,” Nazrul told reporters. “However, the security concerns regarding playing in India have not changed at all. The threat to our safety is real and based on actual events.”
Nazrul said the Bangladeshi government could not ignore safety considerations for players, journalists, officials and spectators. “The Indian government has not communicated with us, nor has it described the issue as an isolated incident or proposed additional security measures. Ultimately, player safety is the responsibility of the government,” he said, reiterating Bangladesh’s preference to play their matches in Sri Lanka.
The controversy has its roots in broader political and security tensions, with Bangladesh officials also linking their concerns to the recent release of star pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders, which they argue reflects a wider pattern rather than an isolated issue.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Aminul Islam Bulbul criticised the ICC’s stance, saying the global body had shown little flexibility. “ICC denied our request to shift the matches away from India. We want to play the World Cup, but we will not play in India,” Bulbul said. He added that Bangladesh would continue to press for a Sri Lanka option, warning that the ICC risked alienating a major cricket-loving nation. “If a country of 200 million people misses the World Cup, it will be ICC’s failure,” he said.
Bulbul also questioned the conduct of the ICC Board meeting, describing some of the discussions as “shocking” and arguing that the tournament’s hybrid hosting model should have allowed room for accommodation.
In response, the ICC said it had upheld the current schedule after detailed security assessments, including independent reviews, all of which concluded there was no credible threat to the Bangladesh team or other participants in India. An ICC spokesperson said the governing body had shared comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from Indian authorities with the BCB.
“Despite sustained and constructive dialogue, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking participation to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one player’s involvement in a domestic league,” the ICC said, adding that altering fixtures so close to the tournament would create serious logistical challenges and set a damaging precedent for future events.
The ICC warned that if Bangladesh do not take part, they could be replaced by Scotland, the next eligible team to preserve the integrity of the competition.
Nazrul later reaffirmed that there was “no scope” for changing the stance. “We are not giving up yet, but we will not travel to India. Our team is ready, and we still hope the ICC will consider our genuine security concerns and allow us to play in Sri Lanka,” he said.
With the ICC holding firm and Bangladesh refusing to travel, the standoff leaves the tournament facing a major geopolitical and sporting flashpoint just weeks before its scheduled start.
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