The India-Bangladesh cricket dispute over the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka, is deepening. The International Cricket Council has now issued an ultimatum to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). According to reports, the ICC has given Bangladesh a decision by January 21st on whether it will travel to India to play its group stage matches.
Bangladesh cricket team’s perticipation in T20 World Cup 2026 in doubt
If an agreement is not reached by the deadline, Bangladesh could be expelled from the tournament. According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the ICC has also made it clear that if Bangladesh withdraws, Scotland will be included in the T20 World Cup in their place. Scotland were selected as a standby team based on the current men’s T20I rankings.
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This stern message was delivered at a meeting between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board in Dhaka on Saturday. The meeting made it clear that the ongoing standoff between the ICC and the BCB has reached a decisive point. The BCB has consistently refused to travel to India, citing security concerns. The BCB says that an independent security agency’s report placed India in a medium-to-high threat zone. Based on this, the Bangladesh board wants its group stage matches shifted from India to co-host Sri Lanka.
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The BCB also proposed switching groups with Ireland so that it could play all its matches in Sri Lanka. However, the ICC has flatly rejected this demand. ICC says there is no specific security threat to any team in India, especially Bangladesh. A proposal to swap groups with Ireland has also been rejected. The dispute has now entered its third week. According to the current schedule, Bangladesh is scheduled to play four group matches—three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. Bangladesh’s first match is scheduled for February 7, the opening day of the tournament.
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The entire matter gained further momentum when the BCCI directed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman. KKR had purchased Mustafizur for ₹9.2 crore in last year’s IPL auction. Although neither the BCCI nor KKR officially provided a reason, the BCCI pointed to growing anti-Bangladesh sentiment in India, which further fueled the BCB’s concerns.
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All eyes are now set on January 21. If the BCB doesn’t back down, a major reshuffle is expected for the 2026 T20 World Cup.
