ISLAMABAD: The uncertainty regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the future T20 World Cup is getting bigger and bigger with every moment. Reports say that Bangladesh has until Wednesday to make the decision on whether to play in India or get out of the tournament.
On one hand, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is saying that they have not been told about any deadline, officially, but rather they were told to respond quickly to the request of shifting matches to Sri Lanka.
BCB’s sports advisor Asif has taken a firm stand, saying that they would not give in to any kind of pressure from ICC or India and would not be sending the team to India for fear of violence. He also mentioned that they have already requested the ICC to move the matches to Sri Lanka for safety reasons.
Bangladesh on the Verge of Decision: Will They Go to India or Pull Out?
CricInfo and the Indian media inform that Bangladesh has a deadline until Wednesday to confirm its participation in India, otherwise it will lose its spot. Speculation arises that in case of withdrawal, Scotland, the highest-ranked team not getting the spot for the tournament, could be a replacement.
It seems that the ICC has served two options to Bangladesh: one is to play in India and the other to get ready for the withdrawal from the tournament. On the other hand, the BCB has rejected such statements and there are mixed reports about whether the ICC has really set a formal deadline.
Security Concerns Raised by BCB
The BCB Amjad Hussain, chairman of BCB, said that an ICC representative had come to Dhaka last Saturday during which the board officials brought up the issue of playing in certain places in India. The board called for the arrangement of alternative centers and expressed in detail their security concerns. The board was given an assurance by the ICC representative that the concerns would not only be sent to the ICC but that the decision would also be communicated soon.
The Indian government is against the Bangladesh team’s travelling to India, and this is the reason why BCB has been trying to get the matches shifted to Sri Lanka.
Asif Stands Firm Against Pressure
Asif went on to say that if the ICC, under pressure from India, attempted to push Bangladesh into participating in India then BCB would straightaway reject it. He emphasized again that security issues in India are still the major concern and the proposal to shift the matches to Sri Lanka is still applicable.
The reports that claimed Scotland could be the replacement team for Bangladesh in the tournament have been dismissed, with the statement that the management has not been in any conversation with the Scottish board regarding this matter, and out of courtesy to Bangladesh, Scotland is not participating in the matter.
The T20 World Cup is going to start on February 7, 2026, and Bangladesh is to play their first three matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. However, the reports from the media stated that the ICC had suggested moving the games from Kolkata and Mumbai to some other “safe” spots in India, but the BCB argued that it would not help their security matters, as the general situation in India is still the same.
