The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate all of Bangladesh’s matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 to venues outside India, citing security concerns.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. However, following an emergency meeting held on Sunday, the BCB said it had decided that the Bangladesh national team would not travel to India under the current circumstances.
In a press release issued after the meeting, the BCB said the decision was taken after a “thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India,” and in consideration of advice received from the Bangladesh government.
“An emergency meeting of the Board of Directors of BCB was held this afternoon to discuss recent developments related to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” the release said, adding that the Board reviewed developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall situation surrounding Bangladesh’s participation in matches scheduled in India.
Bangladesh have been placed in Group C alongside West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal. According to the tournament schedule, all of Bangladesh’s group-stage matches are set to be played in Kolkata and Mumbai.
“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the ICC, as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India,” the release said.
The Board emphasized that the request was made to ensure the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, Board members and other stakeholders, and to allow the team to compete in a secure and appropriate environment.
The BCB said it is hopeful the ICC will understand the situation and provide an urgent response to the matter.
