Blitz Bureau
NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council has reportedly informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on January 7 that their request to stage Bangladesh’s World Cup matches outside India on security grounds had been declined. Last week, BCB formally requested that the ICC shift all of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches out of India, citing growing concerns about the safety and security of its contingent. ICC authorities and BCB officials held a virtual meeting, and, according to an ESPNcricinfo report, the ICC is understood to have stated that Bangladesh would need to travel to India to fulfil its fixtures or risk forfeiting competition points.
BCB, however, claimed that no such warning or ultimatum was communicated to them. Moreover, an ICC source said that no decision has been taken on BCB’s request to relocate all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India. Neither the ICC nor the BCCI has issued an official statement clarifying the outcome of the call.
The uncertainty comes with less than a month remaining before the 20-team tournament begins on February 7. India and Sri Lanka will co-host the event, which will run through March 8.
Bangladesh, drawn in Group C, are slated to play their opening three matches in Kolkata: West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14, before concluding the group stage against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.
The BCB’s outreach to the ICC followed a directive from the BCCI to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman, who had been signed at the December auction for Rs 9.2 crore. He was the sole Bangladesh player picked up at the IPL 2026 auction.
