Bangladesh govt confirms no shift in stance on T20 World Cup in India
With the tournament just weeks away, Bangladesh’s participation is still unclear, as officials remain strong on their demand to shift their fixtures out of India.
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The Bangladesh government has once again made it clear that it is unwilling to change its position on playing the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup matches in India. With the tournament just weeks away, Bangladesh’s participation is still unclear, as officials remain strong on their demand to shift their fixtures out of India due to security and political concerns.
On Tuesday, Bangladesh government’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul repeated that Dhaka is not prepared to soften its stance despite ongoing discussions with the International Cricket Council (ICC). Bangladesh has formally requested that its matches be moved to Sri Lanka, which is serving as a co-host for the T20 World Cup.
Over the weekend, senior officials from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held talks with ICC representatives in Dhaka to resolve the impasse. However, no breakthrough was achieved, with both teams maintaining their respective positions.
Addressing the media, Asif Nazrul categorically stated that Bangladesh would not accept any unreasonable or illogical pressure from the ICC to play in India. He dismissed speculation that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland if they opt out of the tournament, saying he was unaware of any such move being discussed.
"I am not aware that Scotland will be included in our place (in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup). If the ICC bows to pressure from the Indian Cricket Board and tries to impose pressure on us by setting unreasonable conditions, we will not accept those conditions," Asif told reporters on Tuesday.
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We cannot be pressurized to play in India: Asif Nazrul
Nazrul also cited historical precedent to support Bangladesh’s demand, pointing out that the ICC had previously shifted venues when Pakistan refused to travel to India. According to him, Bangladesh’s request is based on logical grounds and should not be viewed as an attempt to disrupt the tournament.
"In the past there are examples that Pakistan said that they will not travel to India and ICC changed the venue. We have asked to change the venue on logical ground and we cannot be pressurized to play in India by putting illogical pressure," he added.
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Bangladesh’s refusal is coming from the security concerns, which have increased following the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructing IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. The decision reportedly came amid prevailing political tensions between the two nations, prompting a strong reaction from Bangladesh.
It is understood that the ICC has set January 21 as the deadline to resolve the issue. If Bangladesh withdraws, the ICC would need to act fast to name a replacement, with Scotland being the highest-ranked team that failed to qualify. However, officials would need to give any replacement at least 15 days to prepare. Bangladesh had also explored the possibility of swapping its group, but the proposal failed to gain traction after Ireland declined to agree to such a change.
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