Bangladesh boycotts T20 World Cup, ICC had set condition to play matches in India

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Bangladesh has decided not to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, citing security concerns. On Thursday, Bangladesh government’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul said there was no possibility of the team playing in the tournament under the current circumstances. Bangladesh had requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its World Cup matches from India to another venue due to security reasons, but the ICC rejected this demand.

After a meeting with Bangladesh team players and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials, Asif Nazrul told reporters that there was no scope to change their decision. He said Bangladesh did not receive justice from the ICC and added that the security situation in India remained unchanged. He also stated that Bangladesh would approach the ICC again with a proposal to play its matches in Sri Lanka.

Nazrul criticised the ICC for giving Bangladesh a 24-hour ultimatum and said that such behaviour was not expected from a global body. He claimed that ICC would lose viewership from nearly 200 million people due to this decision. He further alleged that India failed to ensure the safety of a Bangladeshi cricketer, referring to the recent decision by the BCCI to ask Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad amid rising violence against Hindus in Bangladesh.

The ICC had clarified on Wednesday that Bangladesh’s matches in the upcoming World Cup would be played in India as per the original schedule. According to the fixture list, Bangladesh was set to play West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The team was also scheduled to face Nepal on February 17 at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

If Bangladesh officially withdraws from the tournament, Scotland is likely to benefit, as it is currently ranked 14th and is the highest-ranked team among those not yet qualified. The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be held from February 7 to March 8, with India and Sri Lanka as joint hosts.