ICC threatens Bangladesh; T20 World Cup 2026 matches to not be shifted outside of India

Bangladesh have taken retaliatory actions against the BCCI’s actions.

The International Cricket Council has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) appeal to schedule their games outside India in the T20 World Cup 2026, according to a report by ESPN Cricinfo.

The report also suggests that ICC told Bangladesh to travel to India to participate in the tournament or risk forfeiting points. BCB submitted a written appeal to ICC on Sunday, stating that they do not want their players to travel to India for the ICC tournament due to safety and security concerns.

Hence, they urged them to schedule Bangladesh games outside India. On Tuesday, ICC conducted a virtual call with the board, where they rejected their plea.

However, BCB has alleged that no such ultimatum has been issued to them by the ICC. Moreover, there has been no official confirmation from either BCB or the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding the call.

Notably, BCB conducted an official meeting to decide that they will not send their players to India for the T20 World Cup 2026. Their decision was triggered by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) releasing Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad on the BCCI’s instruction.

KKR picked Rahman for INR 9.20 crore in the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 auction. However, due to the ongoing violence against Indian minorities in Bangladesh, many fans slammed KKR’s decision to pick him in their squad. As a result, BCCI ordered the franchise to drop Rahman from their squad to respect the sentiments of fans.

However, the move did not go well with BCB, which did not find BCCI’s decision logical and justified. In response, they decided not to send their players to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, making an appeal to the ICC for the same. Moreover, BCB also banned the telecast of IPL 2026 in their country.

Bangladesh are placed in Group C in the T20 World Cup 2026

Bangladesh are placed in Group C in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. As per the schedule, they will face the West Indies in their opening game in Kolkata on February 7, followed by clashes against Italy and England at the same venue. Their last match of the group stage is against Nepal in Mumbai.

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