Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Bangladesh’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India hung by a thread on Wednesday after the International Cricket Council (ICC) formally rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka, triggering an urgent round of talks involving the government, players and cricket administrators.Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW!Amid the escalating uncertainty, Bangladesh government’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul will meet the national cricketers on Thursday (January 21) at Hotel InterContinental in Dhaka. As per a Cricbuzz report, the meeting, scheduled for 3 pm, is aimed at briefing players on the latest developments and hearing their views after it emerged that the squad was not consulted during the initial standoff. T20I captain Litton Kumar Das had earlier admitted that players’ consent was not taken as doubts grew over Bangladesh’s World Cup participation.
The ICC’s decision came after a board meeting that lasted nearly an hour and a half, during which Bangladesh’s proposal was put to vote. According to reports, all but two members voted against Bangladesh’s plea. Even a last-minute show of support from the Pakistan Cricket Board failed to shift the balance.“I am hoping for a miracle from the ICC. Who doesn’t want to play the World Cup?” BCB president Aminul Islam said. “We explained to the ICC board the reasons for our decision before the voting began. We didn’t want to go into voting. We stepped back.”
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Following the rejection, the ICC issued what effectively amounts to an ultimatum. Bangladesh have been given 24 hours to confirm whether they will travel to India for the tournament, scheduled from February 7 to March 8. Failure to comply will see them replaced, with Scotland tipped to take Bangladesh’s place in Group C.“The Bangladesh players want to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh government wants Bangladesh to play the World Cup. But we don’t think India is safe for our players,” Aminul said. He revealed that the BCB proposed shifting matches to Sri Lanka or even swapping groups with Ireland or Zimbabwe. “It would have been the easiest way. But Sri Lanka said that we don’t want a new team in our group.”Aminul added that after the vote, he sought more time to consult the government. “I told them that I want one last chance to tell my government. They said it’s a valid point, and gave me 24 or 48 hours to get back to them.”Despite the setback, the BCB has not entirely shut the door on negotiations. Another senior official said the ICC could still have a change of heart.ICC’s media release after the meet on Wednesday:
