Bangladesh wants its T20 World Cup games shifted out of India; BCB says decision is to safeguard players

DHAKA/NEW DELHI: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday decided that its cricket team will not travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup, co-hosted by Sri Lanka.

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In a retaliation following star Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion on Saturday from the upcoming IPL, where he is contracted with Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), the BCB, following an emergency meeting Sunday afternoon, decided to formally request the ICC seeking an alternative venue outside India. It cited security concerns “under the current circumstances”, and said it is considering the advice from Bangladesh interim govt.

Bangladesh were scheduled to play all four league matches of the World Cup in Mumbai and Kolkata.




"The board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh national team in matches scheduled to be played in India,” a BCB statement said.

“In light of this decision, BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India,”, the BCB said, “The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter.”

The decision was made “to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of Bangladeshi players, team officials, board members and other stakeholders,” the statement further added.

The BCB had back-to-back meetings from Saturday night to Sunday afternoon. While their statement Sunday did not mention Rahman’s ouster from the IPL, sources said BCB posed three major concerns before the ICC: Rahman’s ouster from IPL, the current security situation in India and why decisions were taken against Bangladeshi players (in the IPL) citing security reasons.

Due to the persisting diplomatic tension between India and Pakistan, ICC has already allocated all of Pakistan’s matches in Sri Lanka for the Feb 7-Mar 8 World Cup.

Rahman’s removal Saturday, after the BCCI instructed KKR to release the pacer, sparked outrage in Bangladesh, with many, including sports and law adviser Asif Nazrul leading calls for the BCB not to travel to India, and to request a relocation of its matches to Sri Lanka.

“I strongly condemn and protest this. As the adviser in charge of the sports ministry, I have asked the cricket control board to explain the entire matter to ICC and write to it,” Nazrul said on Saturday night.

“We welcome this decision taken in the context of the radical communal policies of the Indian cricket board,” Nazrul said on Sunday.

Many in Bangladesh feel that calls to drop the IPL from local television altogether could now inevitably grow.

Information and broadcasting adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan on Sunday said any decision over halting broadcast of IPL in Bangladesh would be taken after reviewing the legal basis and thoroughly examining relevant procedures.

TOI has learnt that BCCI has also got into a huddle and is discussing the matter with ICC. With the T20 World Cup just about a month away, it will be a logistical nightmare to relocate the matches following Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India.

Before assuming office as ICC chairman in Dec 2024, Jay Shah, as BCCI secretary, had, in an arrangement with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), decided that India and Pakistan teams will not tour each other. Pakistan’s cricketers last played in India during the ODI World in 2023. It will be interesting to see if Shah heeds to Bangladesh’s demands without carrying out a recce of the venues in India.

It must be noted that the BCCI had not specified any reason for instructing Kolkata Knight Riders to expel Rahman. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had merely mentioned the move was “due to recent developments”.

BCCI is still not committed to touring Bangladesh without govt approval, having already cancelled a white-ball tour last year. BCB had planned a white-ball series with India later this year in Sept. However, if BCB doesn’t relent on their demand for relocation of matches to Sri Lanka, the BCCI will lose another ICC full member nation to play bilateral cricket with.

This could force ICC to rejig its future tours programme (FTP) keeping the World Test Championship in mind. It will also lead to uncertainty over staging multi-nation tournaments in the subcontinent, including the Commonwealth Games scheduled to be hosted by India in 2030.

Last year, the Indian govt had released a policy where it restricted sporting ties with Pakistan to only multi-nation events in lieu of their planned bid for the 2036 Olympics. In 2024, only a junior team from Pakistan had travelled to Chennai for the South Asian Athletics. No Pakistan team has travelled to India for any event across disciplines since. Whether this latest sporting impasse between India and Bangladesh will go the IndiaPak way, time will tell.