ICC Rejects BCB's Request, Keeps Bangladesh's T20 World Cup Games in India

The decision comes after an ICC Board meeting, featuring all members, which took place via video conferencing, after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) requested that its fixtures be shifted to Sri Lanka, due to the BCCI instructing Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to remove Mustafizur from its IPL 2026 squad amidst deteriorating relations between both countries.

The ICC said its decision was based on security assessments, including independent reviews, which found no threat to Bangladesh players, officials, media, or fans at any of the tournament venues in India. "Over the past several weeks, the ICC has engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue, with the clear objective of enabling Bangladesh's participation in the tournament.

"During this period, the ICC has shared detailed inputs, including independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans, and formal assurances from the host authorities, all of which consistently concluded that there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.

"Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated, and unrelated development concerning one of its players' involvement in a domestic league. This linkage has no bearing on the tournament's security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup," said an ICC spokesperson in a statement.

Bangladesh's current itinerary of games goes as follows: facing West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before taking on Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The ICC also noted that changes were not feasible so close to the tournament and warned that altering the schedule without a credible security risk could set a precedent undermining the neutrality of future ICC events.

The global governing body further said it had engaged in extensive dialogue with the BCB, sharing detailed security plans and assurances from host authorities, including an in-person meeting held in Dhaka on January 17, led by Andrew Ephgrave, ICC's General Manager in Integrity Unit, and Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, who joined in virtually.

"The ICC's venue and scheduling decisions are guided by objective threat assessments, host guarantees, and the tournament's agreed terms of participation, which apply uniformly to all 20 competing nations. In the absence of any independent security findings that materially compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team, the ICC is unable to relocate fixtures.

"Doing so would carry significant logistical and scheduling consequences for other teams and fans worldwide, and would also create far-reaching precedent-related challenges that risk undermining the neutrality, fairness, and integrity of ICC governance. The ICC remains committed to acting in good faith, upholding consistent standards, and safeguarding the collective interests of the global game," added the ICC spokesperson.

Should Bangladesh withdraw from the mega event, Scotland are expected to take their place, with the team ranked 14th in T20Is and the highest-ranked side not already qualified.

- IANS