Bangladesh Face Possible Exit From 2026 T20 World Cup After ICC Ultimatum
Bangladesh’s participation in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup is hanging by a thread after their demand to relocate matches outside India was overwhelmingly rejected by the ICC Board. The situation worsened despite last-minute backing from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), which failed to sway the world body.
The ICC convened an emergency virtual meeting on Wednesday, January 21, to address Bangladesh’s request. Of the 16-member ICC Board, all but two members voted against the proposal — with Pakistan and Bangladesh being the only supporters. Following the meeting, the ICC issued a firm deadline to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), giving it 24 hours to confirm participation in the tournament scheduled from February 7 to March 8 in India.
Failure to comply will result in Bangladesh being replaced by another team, with Scotland emerging as the frontrunner to take their place in Group C. Sources indicated that the ICC had no intention of revising the tournament plan at such a late stage. Although the PCB submitted a letter backing Bangladesh’s stance, both delegations were unable to convince the Board.
After reviewing multiple security assessments, including independent evaluations, the ICC concluded that there is no credible threat to Bangladeshi players, officials, media, or fans in India. Consequently, the ICC found no justification to move Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka, as requested by the BCB.
The BCB had also proposed a group swap with Ireland, which is scheduled to play all its matches in Sri Lanka. However, that option was dismissed after Cricket Ireland confirmed it had assurances from the ICC that its schedule would remain unchanged.
As per the official schedule, Bangladesh are set to play three group-stage matches in Kolkata — against West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9) and England (February 14) — before travelling to Mumbai to face Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium on February 17.
ICC Issues Official Statement
Later in the day, the ICC released a formal statement reaffirming its decision.The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India,” the ICC stated.
An ICC spokesperson also dismissed Bangladesh’s attempt to link the issue to Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the IPL, calling it irrelevant to tournament security.Despite sustained and constructive dialogue with the BCB, and sharing detailed security assessments, venue-level plans and formal assurances from host authorities, the BCB continued to link participation to an unrelated domestic league matter,” the spokesperson said.
“This linkage has no bearing on the security framework or participation conditions of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup.”With the clock ticking, Bangladesh must now make a final decision after consulting their government — a choice that could determine whether they remain part of the global tournament or watch it from the sidelines.