Bangladesh has refused to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup and asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move their games “outside India” due to the ruptured political relationship between the two countries.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) issued a statement saying it would not send its cricket team to India. The decision came “after a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India.”
The BCB also sought the advice of its government before approaching the ICC. It asked the ICC, as the event authority, to consider holding all of Bangladesh’s matches at a venue outside India. The T20 World Cup will be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from Feb. 7 to March 8 this year. Bangladesh is scheduled to play three group games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.
On Jan. 3, Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India. Mustafizur was the only Bangladesh player selected in the recent IPL auction.
Bangladesh announced their 15-member squad for the tournament on Jan. 4 with Litton Das as skipper and Mustafizur leading the pace attack.
Since the political turmoil began between the two countries, the cricketing relationship between them has also not been smooth, which led to the India men’s tour of Bangladesh being postponed in August, 2025, and the Bangladesh women’s tour of India being postponed in December, 2025.
