Bangladesh officially requests ICC to move T20 World Cup matches outside India; read full statement

BCB has requested the ICC to move all T20 World Cup 2026 matches away from India due to safety concerns, following an emergency board meeting triggered.

Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has asked the ICC to move all of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India, saying the team will not travel there under the current conditions.

Mustafizur Rahman with the Bangladesh team. (X images)

The escalation began with the IPL flashpoint involving Mustafizur Rahman, and then snowballed into an emergency BCB board meeting and a formal relocation request to the ICC.

Mustafizur’s IPL exit becomes the spark

In a media release issued from Dhaka on Sunday, the BCCI said its Board of Directors held an emergency meeting to discuss recent developments related to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The board said it reviewed the situation over the last 24 hours and raised concerns over the circumstances around Bangladesh playing its scheduled matches in India.

That “24 hours” is where Mustafizur Rahman strand becomes central. The Bangladeshi left-arm seamer was released from his IPL commitments with Kolkata Knight Riders, a development that triggered a sharp reaction in Bangladesh cricket circles and quickly spilled into a wider debate about the team’s safety and travel for India-based fixtures. Reports said that the release was seen in Bangladesh as involving board-level intervention, with the BCB also expected to see clarity on the circumstances around the decision.

With the issue intensifying, the BCB said it assessed the prevailing situation, considered growing concerns around the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India, and took into account advice from the Bangladesh government. The outcome: the board resolved that the national team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions.

BCB’s next step is now with the ICC. The board has formally requested the world body as event authority to relocate all Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India, arguing the move is required to safeguard the well-being of the players, team officials, board members, and other stakeholders and to ensure the team can participate in a secure and appropriate environment. The statement also pressure for urgency, saying it looked forward to ICC’s understanding and an urgent response.

As per the published tournament scheduling around Bangladesh’s group stage, they are set to play West Indies, England, Italy, and Nepal, with most of their fixtures slated for Kolkata and one in Mumbai, the very Indian leg the BCB is now asking to be shifted.