The International Cricket Council (ICC) chairman Jay Shah can take strict action against the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) amid the controversy surrounding the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to start in February.
India and Sri Lanka will be the joint hosts for the tournament. All teams which are going to take part in the competition have started their preparations, including Bangladesh. But the BCB has made their stance clear – they will not travel to India to play the tournament for ‘security and safety concerns’ over the players, fans and media persons.
The snub of Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026 remains the main concern for Bangladesh
After the snub of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL 2026, the situation turned intense between India and Bangladesh. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) roped in the Bangladesh international for a hefty fee. But they had to release the pacer after a BCCI directive. After which, citing concerns over the Bangladesh contingent’s security and safety, the BCB refused to travel to India to play the T20 World Cup matches.
The cricket governing body of Bangladesh has requested the ICC to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh cricket team is originally scheduled to play their group matches at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata. But the council turned down their request to shift the venue outside India. The council even keeps a standby team if they need to replace Bangladesh in the tournament.
ICC can take strict steps against Bangladesh
According to an ANI report, “The International Cricket Council Chairman Jay Shah will contemplate strict action against Bangladesh if they do not agree to tour India for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.” The report further stated that the risk factor in India is low to moderate, which is not something for the Bangladesh cricket team to be concerned about.
ICC sources said on Monday, noting that the overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, which is consistent with the profile of many major global sporting events”, according to the report.
Bangladesh Cricket Board makes its decision clear
On Thursday, BCB president Aminul Islam mentioned that they are willing to take part in the T20 World Cup but not by travelling to India. For that, they can again communicate with the ICC.
“We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we won’t play in India. We will keep fighting. There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision-makers in that issue,” he said.
He further stated that ICC had turned down their plea to shift their matches outside India. According to the BCB president, the popularity of cricket is going down globally.
Read More: BCB announces legal fight after ICC rejects T20 World Cup 2026 venue change demand
