Bangladesh won’t play T20 World Cup in India, vows to ‘keep fighting’

Bangladesh will not play the T20 World Cup in India, the country’s youth and sports adviser Asif Nazrul said on Thursday (January 22, 2026).

Mr. Nazrul told a press conference that the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not do justice by not shifting the league matches of the Bangladesh cricket team to Sri Lanka despite requests by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

“While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis,” Mr. Nazrul said.

“We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka,” he added.

BCB president Aminul Islam said that the board still “expects to play the matches in Sri Lanka and will continue the fight”.

The latest development effectively paves the way for Scotland to play the T20 World Cup.

Bangladesh are due to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai). The country raised security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was ousted from the Indian Premier League on BCCI’s instructions for unspecified “developments all around”.

The ICC had on Wednesday (January 22, 2026) rejected the request from the BCB to shift its team’s fixtures to Sri Lanka, saying the matches will proceed as scheduled since there was no credible threat to the safety of Bangladesh players, officials or fans at any of the tournament venues in India.

The decision was taken at an ICC Board meeting held via video conference, which was convened to discuss the situation after the BCB raised concerns and sought a change in venues. Bangladesh was given time till Thursday to make its decision.

“The ICC Board noted that relocating matches under the present circumstances could jeopardise the sanctity of ICC events and undermine the organisation’s neutrality as a global governing body,” the ICC said in a statement.

According to the ICC, the Board reviewed multiple security assessments, including independent evaluations, all of which concluded that there was no credible threat to Bangladesh players.

(With inputs from PTI)