Bangladesh has reiterated its stand that it will not travel to India for the T20 World Cup and will once again request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move the match to Sri Lanka despite the world cricket body refusing to change the tournament’s dates.
“We will return to the ICC with plans to play in Sri Lanka,” BCB president Aminul Islam said after a meeting with BCB officials, Bangladesh cricketers and government representatives in Dhaka on Thursday.
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The announcement came a day after the world cricket body warned the BCB that failure to agree to play matches in India could result in expulsion from the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, with Scotland potentially placed in Group C instead.
The ICC asked the BCB to review the decision with the Bangladesh government and respond within one day, after which a final decision would be taken.
“They did give us a 24-hour ultimatum, but no international organization can actually do that,” Islam told reporters.
“We want to play in the World Cup but we will not play in India. We will keep fighting,” he added.
The BCB chief said the ICC will lose if Bangladesh is expelled from the tournament.
“The ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup,” he said.
Bangladesh is scheduled to face West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 7, the opening day of the tournament. They will play two more group stage matches at the same venue before their final Group C match against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
However, the BCB has refused to send a team to India, citing concerns about player safety and security.
The move follows the sudden removal of star fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries.
The ICC announced on Wednesday that it had shared with the BCB a detailed independent safety assessment, a comprehensive venue-level safety plan and formal assurances from the host authorities, with all reports concluding 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 and repeatedly linked participation in the tournament to a single, isolated, unrelated incident regarding one of its players’ involvement in the domestic league,” an ICC spokesperson said after the international body’s board met via video conference to discuss the matter.
“This link has nothing to do with the tournament’s security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” the ICC spokesperson added.
Asif Nazrul, youth and sports advisor to the Bangladesh interim government, dismissed the ICC’s claims, saying they failed to address Bangladesh’s concerns.
“The ICC has failed to persuade us on security issues and has not taken any action on our grievances,” he said.
“Even the Indian government did not try to communicate with us or allay our fears.
“We hope that the ICC will give us an opportunity to play in Sri Lanka. It is our government that has decided not to go to India.”
Before the latest talks, Bangladesh captain Litton Das had expressed concerns over the uncertainty surrounding the team’s participation.
“From my standpoint, I am uncertain. Everyone is uncertain,” Das told reporters after Tuesday’s domestic cricket match.
Diplomatic relations between the once-close allies have been severely tested since last August, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka for New Delhi following a revolt against her rule.
Bangladesh blames India for many of its problems, including support for Hasina when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in power.
During the World Cup, Bangladesh will hold its first elections since Hasina’s ouster.
