BCB president Tamim Iqbal confident India's tour of Bangladesh will happen soon

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) President Tamim Iqbal confirmed on August 31 that both cricket boards are actively engaged in talks over India's tour of Bangladesh, and that he remains hopeful the series will go ahead. The proposed tour comprises three ODIs and three T20Is, with January 2027 earmarked as the best possible window for the assignment.

BCB had formally announced the tour on January 2, 2026, though the BCCI had not issued a public confirmation at that point. The tour had already been deferred once before, having originally been pencilled in for August 2025 before being pushed back to September 2026.

"All I can tell you is that both the cricket boards are in discussion. It is a fruitful talk, and I am hopeful this will happen," Tamim said on Monday, as quoted by Cricbuzz.

What led to the uncertainty over India's tour of Bangladesh?

Several off-field developments strained relations between the two boards in the months leading up to this tour. A significant rift emerged following Mustafizur Rahman's removal from IPL 2026, which created friction between BCB and BCCI and cast doubt on the bilateral series.

Adding to the complications, Bangladesh's interim government at the time directed BCB to pull out of the T20 World Cup in February 2026. That decision further unsettled the working relationship between the two boards and raised fresh questions about whether the India tour would proceed as announced.

By August 20, 2026, Tamim himself had signalled that another postponement was possible, deepening concern among Bangladesh cricket supporters. His tone shifted considerably by the end of the month, with his most recent remarks reflecting a noticeably more optimistic outlook.

What steps has BCB taken to secure the India tour?

Tamim, the legendary Bangladesh batter, took charge as BCB President on April 7, 2026 and moved quickly to rebuild the board's relationship with BCCI. On August 1, 2026, he flew to India and spent time at BCCI's national cricket academy facility in Bengaluru, a trip widely interpreted as part of BCB's push to advance tour negotiations.

The outreach appears to have produced results. According to a Cricinfo report that BCB received a positive response from BCCI, though the same report noted the tour could take place early in 2027 rather than in September 2026. This conflicts with the September 1 to 13, 2026 window listed on official tour records, and neither board has publicly clarified the current timeline. As of August 31, 2026, no official joint announcement has been made confirming the exact dates.