Bangladesh will not travel India for T20 World Cup, BCB decides

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to travel to India to participate in the T20 World Cup. The decision was taken at a meeting held this afternoon with 17 members of the Board of Directors in attendance.

In the context of Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the Indian Premier League (IPL), BCB directors had also held an online meeting on Saturday night.

At that time, the majority of the directors advised not to take any strict measures. However, following intervention by the government, they revised their position and altered the decision.

When asked about the matter, Nazmul Abedeen, head of the cricket operations department, told Prothom Alo, “We will clarify our position formally through an official press release shortly.”

The issue of the safety of Bangladesh cricketers in the World Cup has come to light since Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL yesterday, Saturday. Finally, the BCB decided to send a letter to the ICC requesting a change of venue.

India and Sri Lanka are the joint hosts of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. According to the official schedule, Bangladesh will have to face the West Indies in Kolkata, India, on 7 February, the opening day of the tournament.

The remaining three group-stage matches involving Bangladesh are also scheduled to be held in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Earlier on Sunday morning, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) announced a 15 member squad for the World Cup, appointing Liton Das as captain.