The Indian government said that it is ready to host and welcome all teams, including Bangladesh, for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, the government and the Board of Control for Cricket in India are closely watching the situation, while any decision on playing or moving matches rests with Bangladesh.
The ICC earlier rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to change the venues for Bangladesh’s matches in the T20 World Cup. However, the BCB has once again approached the ICC to move the matches. This is the second time the board has asked for a venue change after Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL snub.
India to Follow Olympic Sports Policy as Bangladesh Await Final Call
According to The Times of India, the Indian government is in regular contact with the Board of Control for Cricket in India and is closely following developments related to Bangladesh. India will stick to its sports policy at international events, in line with Olympic guidelines.
“Once their govt makes the stand clear or takes a final decision, only then will Indian authorities react,” sources said.
“The situation is different with Pakistan. There is a specific sports policy for them. India will not engage in any bilateral sports with Pakistan anywhere in the world. Nor will teams across sporting disciplines travel to each other’s nations for one-on-one events. The BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have their own understanding of playing at neutral venues even in multilateral sports events,” sources added.
Indian Govt Leaves T20 World Cup Call to Bangladesh Amid Venue Debate
The report added that the Indian government will provide full security to the Bangladesh team. Notably, the final choice rests with Bangladesh, and it is up to them to decide whether they want to take part or not.
“As for the Bangladesh cricket team, there will be full security measures in place. The government’s stand has always been that of welcoming every nation coming here to participate. The ball is in their court whether they want to come or not. The decision is entirely theirs,” sources added.
Pakistan have come out in support of Bangladesh choosing not to play in India during the T20 World Cup. Pakistan, which already has strained ties with India, are set to play all their matches outside India in Sri Lanka, one of the tournament’s co-hosts.
BCB Writes to ICC Again After Talks With Govt Advisor Over T20 World Cup
The BCB has again reached out to the ICC to raise concerns about travelling to India for the T20 World Cup and repeated its request to move the matches to Sri Lanka.
The board sent the communication after talks with sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul and clearly listed its security worries, as asked by the ICC. For now, the ICC has not given any signal that it plans to change the venues.
“Following discussions with sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul, the BCB has once again sent a communication to the ICC. The ICC wanted to know areas of concern with regards to security and BCB has cited them,” a source close to the BCB told PTI.
