ICC tells Bangladesh they must travel to India to play World Cup

Uncertainty has emerged over Bangladesh national cricket team’s travel to India to take part in the ICC T20 World Cup.

According to cricket website ESPNcricinfo, a virtual meeting was held between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Tuesday. However, contradictory accounts are emerging regarding the outcome of that meeting.

Cricinfo reports that during the virtual discussion, the ICC made it clear to the BCB that it is not possible to accommodate Bangladesh’s request to shift their matches from India to another venue.

The ICC reportedly also stated that if Bangladesh wish to participate in the World Cup, they must travel to India, and failure to do so could result in the loss of points. The BCB, however, offers a different version, claiming that the ICC has issued no such ultimatum.

So far, neither the ICC nor the BCB has released any official statement regarding the outcome of the meeting. The ICC convened the meeting after the BCB wrote to the apex governing body of cricket last Sunday, asking it to “consider” staging Bangladesh’s matches outside India.

This development has created an atmosphere of uncertainty just a month before the start of the T20 World Cup. The 20-team World Cup will run from 7 February to 8 March, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh, placed in Group C, are scheduled to play their first three matches in India’s Kolkata. They will begin their World Cup campaign against the West Indies on 7 February, followed by matches against Italy on 9 February and England on 14 February.

Bangladesh’s final group-stage match is on 17 February in Mumbai, against Nepal.

The reasons behind the BCB’s decision to write to the ICC are no less dramatic. At the IPL auction held last December, Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for INR 92 million. He was the only Bangladeshi cricketer to secure a team at the 2026 auction. However, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) recently “directed” KKR to release Mustafizur from their squad.

The decision was disclosed to the media by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, though he did not explain why KKR were instructed to let Mustafizur go. It has since emerged that no meeting of the IPL Governing Council was held on the matter.

In the aftermath of this incident, the BCB raised concerns over security in India and announced that Bangladesh would not play any matches there during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup.

Until Tuesday, the BCB remained firm in its stance that even assurances of maximum security from the Indian authorities would not be sufficient for Bangladesh to send its team to India.

The board believes that, beyond the team itself, many other Bangladeshis would travel to India in connection with the World Cup, and their safety would also be a cause for concern. In such circumstances, the BCB considers it inadvisable to play in India.

Speaking to Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, a senior BCB official said on Tuesday, “We also want our team to play in the World Cup. But it is not possible under these circumstances. The government has taken a position after much deliberation. We have no option but to adhere to it.”

Bangladesh would only travel to India to play if the government were to instruct the BCB to do so, the official added.

If the ICC has indeed communicated its final decision to the BCB and remains unwilling to move Bangladesh’s matches from India, the situation could become highly complex.

In that scenario, all eyes will now be on what stance the BCB ultimately adopts.