BCB formally requests ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s World Cup games outside India
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided not to send the national team to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup "under the current circumstances", urging the ICC to relocate Bangladesh's fixtures elsewhere. The upcoming T20 World Cup, set to be played in India and Sri Lanka, will begin on February 7.
The decision was made in an emergency meeting held this afternoon.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. "The board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India," read a BCB-issued press release.
"Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh government, the board of directors resolved that the Bangladesh national team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions.
"In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh's matches to a venue outside India," the press release added further.
BCB mentioned that the decision was made "to safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, board members and other stakeholders."
BCB is now looking forward to the ICC's understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter.
Earlier, the BCCI on Saturday instructed KKR to release Bangladesh's Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad after calls from India's ruling party BJP's politicians and religious leaders.
The removal sparked outrage in Bangladesh, with many, including sports adviser Asif Nazrul, calling for the BCB not to send the national team to India due to security concerns and to request the ICC to shift Bangladesh's matches to Sri Lanka.
The adviser lauded the BCB's decision with a post on social media on Sunday.
"Bangladesh will not go to India to play in the World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board made this decision today. I welcome this decision, taken in response to the Indian cricket board's extreme communal policies," he wrote.
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