ICC issues ultimatum to Bangladesh: Play T20 world cup in India or face replacement

New Delhi (Uttam Hindu) : The International Cricket Council has given the Bangladesh Cricket Board a deadline of January 21 to finalize its plans for the 2026 T20 World Cup. If Bangladesh does not clarify its position, another team could be given a place in the World Cup instead.

According to a report in ESPNcricinfo, the ICC has given the Bangladesh Cricket Board an ultimatum by January 21 to agree to travel to India for their group stage matches, otherwise Scotland will be included in the tournament as their replacement based on their current men's T20 rankings.

The ultimatum was given during a meeting between the ICC and the BCB in Dhaka on Saturday. The meeting discussed the growing tensions over security concerns in India. The BCB, citing security reasons, refused to send its team to India and requested that its matches be shifted from India to Sri Lanka. The board's concerns primarily stemmed from an advisory from an independent security agency that was sent to all 20 teams. This advisory listed the threat level in India as being in the "medium to high band."

However, the ICC clarified that there was no specific security threat to the Bangladesh team or to them in India. The ICC also rejected the BCB's proposal to swap groups with Ireland, preventing Bangladesh from playing all of its group stage matches in Sri Lanka. Bangladesh will play three of its four group stage matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai, starting February 7.

The BCB's security concerns have been further exacerbated after the Board of Control for Cricket in India directed IPL franchise KKR to release Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026. Mustafizur was signed by KKR in last year's auction for ₹9.2 crore. The Bangladesh Cricket Board views Rahman's release from the IPL as a security concern for its players.

Bangladesh must respond to the ICC by the 21st. Otherwise, Scotland could be selected in their place in the T20 World Cup. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7th to March 8th.