T20 World Cup 2026: Bangladesh’s participation set to be finalised by January 21

A final decision on Bangladesh’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup, particularly on whether the team will travel to India for the tournament, is expected to be taken by January 21. The International Cricket Council (ICC) conveyed this deadline to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) during discussions held in Dhaka on Saturday.

According to ESPNcricinfo, the meeting was the second between the ICC and BCB in the past week. During the talks, the BCB reiterated its desire to take part in the tournament but maintained that it would prefer to play outside India, citing security concerns. As co-hosts, Sri Lanka has been suggested by the BCB as the most viable alternative venue. However, the ICC has remained firm in its stance and is unwilling to alter the original schedule, under which Bangladesh have been placed in Group C.

The deadlock has now lasted nearly three weeks, having begun on January 4, when the BCB first formally raised its concerns. With the tournament set to begin on February 7, time is running short. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their opening match against West Indies in Kolkata, which is also slated to host their next two group games, before their final group fixture in Mumbai.

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During Saturday’s discussions, the ICC also rejected the BCB’s proposal to shift Bangladesh to Group B by swapping places with Ireland, who are scheduled to play their group matches in Sri Lanka. The ICC is understood to have assured the BCB that there is no specific security threat to the Bangladesh team in India.

An advisory prepared by an independent security agency and circulated to all 20 participating teams has classified the overall threat level in India as medium to high, but it does not identify any direct or specific threats to visiting teams.

Sources familiar with the talks have indicated that the ICC will now wait for the BCB’s final decision. Should the BCB refuse to allow the team to travel to India, the ICC is likely to name a replacement team, with Scotland being the next in line based on current rankings.

The dispute began after Mustafizur Rahman was removed from Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2026 squad on the BCCI’s instruction, without any official explanation. In response, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL in the country, following which the BCB wrote to the ICC stating its refusal to play its T20 World Cup matches in India.