Mustafizur Rahman's exclusion from IPL: Bangladesh not to travel to India for T20 World Cup after 'government advice'

NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided that Bangladesh's cricket team will not travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The decision was taken at a meeting held on Sunday afternoon.

"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," BCB said in an official release.

"Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions," the statement added.

The issue was discussed in the backdrop of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the Indian Premier League (IPL). BCB directors had earlier held an online meeting on Saturday night to discuss the matter.



At that point, most of the directors were in favour of not taking any strict step. However after intervention from the Bangladesh government, the board reviewed its stance and changed the decision.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has also asked for relocation of its T20 World Cup matches outside of India. "In light of this decision, the 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 development comes after Mustafizur Rahman was released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), amid rising diplomatic tension between India and Bangladesh.

KKR had bought the 30-year-old left-arm pacer for Rs 9.20 crore at the players’ auction last month. His base price was Rs 2 crore, and the bidding involved Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.

The BCCI said KKR will be allowed to name a replacement player if needed for the tournament, which is scheduled to begin on March 26.

India and Sri Lanka are the joint hosts of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. As per the schedule released so far, Bangladesh are slated to play West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, which is the opening day of the tournament.

Bangladesh’s remaining three group-stage matches are also scheduled to take place in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Earlier on Sunday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced a 15-member squad for the World Cup, with Liton Das named as captain.