Adamant

Bangladesh have reiterated their stance on not travelling to India for the T20 World Cup and will, once again, request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate their games to Sri Lanka despite the global cricket body’s refusal to change the tournament’s schedule.

“We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka,” BCB President Aminul Islam said after a meeting between BCB officials, Bangladeshi cricketers and representatives of the government in Dhaka on Thursday.

The announcement came a day after the global cricket body warned the BCB that expulsion from the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 could take place should it not agree to play its matches in India, with Scotland replacing it in Group C.

The ICC asked the BCB to review its decision with the Bangladeshi government and give a response within a day, following which a final decision would be made.

“They did give us a 24-hour ultimatum, but a global body can’t really do that,” Islam told reporters.

“We want to play the World Cup, but we won’t play in India. We will keep fighting,” he added.

The BCB chief said the ICC would stand to lose if Bangladesh were expelled from the tournament.

“The ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup,” he said.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play on the opening day of the tournament, on February 7, when they face the West Indies at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. They are set to play two other group-stage games at the same venue before their final Group C fixture against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

However, the BCB has refused to send its team to India, citing concerns over players’ safety and security.

The move followed the abrupt removal of star fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) upon instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), due to the ongoing political tensions between the two nations.

The ICC said, on Wednesday, that it had shared detailed independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities with the BCB and that all reports concluded “there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.

“Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league,” an ICC spokesperson said after the global body’s board met via video conference to discuss the issue.

“This linkage has no bearing on the tournament’s security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” the ICC spokesperson added.

Asif Nazrul, a youth and sports adviser in the interim Bangladeshi government, dismissed the ICC’s claims, saying it had failed to quash Bangladesh’s concerns.

“The ICC has failed to convince us on the security question and has taken no stand on our grievances,” he said.

“Even the Indian government did not communicate with us or try to assuage our fears.

“We are hopeful that ICC will give us the opportunity to play in Sri Lanka. It is our government who has decided not to go to India.”

Before the latest round of talks, Bangladesh captain Litton Das had expressed concerns over the uncertainty surrounding his team’s participation.

“From where I stand, I’m uncertain; everyone is uncertain,” Das told reporters after a domestic cricket match on Tuesday.

Diplomatic relations between the once-close allies have been sharply tested since August last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi from Dhaka after an uprising against her rule.

Bangladesh blames India for a number of its troubles, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for Hasina when she was in power.

During the World Cup, Bangladesh will hold its first elections since Hasina’s ousting.