Amid rising political tensions, Bangladeshi officials have expressed concern about the safety of Indian players during the upcoming tournament.
Following the expulsion of Bangladesh’s top players from the Indian Premier League (IPL), Bangladesh has announced that it will request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change its T20 World Cup fixtures from India to Sri Lanka, citing concerns for player safety.
Amid rising political tensions between the South Asian neighbors, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been asked by the government to write to the ICC, requesting a change of match venue and clarifying fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman’s sudden exclusion from the IPL, Youth and Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul said in a statement on Saturday.
“As the in-charge advisor to the Ministry of Sports, I have asked the BCB to explain this entire issue to the ICC. The board should inform that if Bangladeshi cricketers cannot play in India despite their contracts, the entire Bangladesh cricket team will not be able to participate in the World Cup in peace,” Asif wrote in a social media post.
“I have also directed the board to request Bangladesh’s World Cup matches to be held in Sri Lanka,” he added.
“We will not under any circumstances accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricketers, cricketers and Bangladesh. The era of slavery is over.”
BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul said the board would hold an emergency meeting later on Sunday.
“The dignity and safety of our cricketers is our top priority and we will take a decision at the appropriate time keeping these in mind,” he told reporters late on Saturday.
Defending champions India and 2014 champions Sri Lanka will jointly host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 from February 7 to March 8.
Bangladesh will play all their group stage matches in India, with three matches being allotted to Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and one match to Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
If the ICC, headed by former BCCI chief Jay Shah, considers the BCB’s request, Bangladesh will become the second country to have competition venues moved from India.
Sri Lanka will host all of Pakistan’s matches as the 2009 champions will not travel to India under an ICC-brokered deal, allowing the rivals to avoid cross-border travel.
Earlier on Saturday, the team Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed that Mustafizur had been released from the IPL 2026 squad following a BCCI recommendation, and Indian Cricket Board secretary Devajit Saikia also confirmed the move.
“In view of the recent incidents happening in various places, the BCCI has directed the KKR team to remove one of its players, Bangladesh’s Mustafizur Rahman, from the team. The BCCI has also said that if a replacement is requested, the BCCI will approve the replacement,” Saikia told Indian news agency ANI.
Political tension spills over into sports
Ongoing tensions between India and Bangladesh have further escalated in recent weeks after a 25-year-old Hindu man was lynched and publicly burned in Bangladesh on blasphemy charges.
Last month, India’s Ministry of External Affairs condemned “unrelenting hostility against minorities”.
Days later, Hindu activists attempted to attack the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi, which was protesting against the neighboring country’s failure to protect its Hindu minority.
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 has accused India of several issues, including supporting Hasina when Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi was in power.
Political tensions have spilled over into the sporting world in recent months, with the Bangladesh women’s cricket team’s recent tour of India postponed indefinitely, and the Indian men’s team’s tour of Bangladesh in August suffering the same fate.
BCCI’s move to exclude Mustafizur from the IPL has met with a backlash in Bangladesh, with the popular franchise league potentially facing a blackout.
Nazrul, the Bangladesh government official, said he had asked the state broadcaster to “stop broadcasting the IPL tournament in Bangladesh.”
