The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially informed the International Cricket Council (ICC) that Bangladesh will not play any matches in India in the upcoming T20 World Cup. It has also requested a change of venue, citing security concerns.
The decision was taken at a meeting of 17 BCB directors on Sunday. A top BCB director said that the situation has become more complicated due to the recent cricketing tensions with India, especially after Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the IPL. Considering these, it has been decided not to play the World Cup matches at Indian venues.
In an email sent to the ICC, the BCB said that it is not possible to send a team to India due to security reasons. It is worth noting that the 2026 T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held jointly by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. According to the previously announced schedule, all four of Bangladesh’s league matches were scheduled to be held at venues in India.
Meanwhile, the BCB has also announced Bangladesh’s squad for the World Cup. Liton Das has been named captain and Saif Hasan as vice-captain. Some regular players have been left out of the announced squad, while the performance of cricketers who did well in the BPL has been kept under observation. While there is scope for changes in the initial squad until January 31, any changes after that will require the approval of the ICC Technical Committee.