ICC draw line as Bangladesh push to play T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Sri Lanka and not India: Report

The Jay Shah-led International Cricket Council (ICC) has set 21 January as the deadline for deciding Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026, which will take place in India and Sri Lanka from 7 February. Only a late twist can change things as far as venues for Bangladesh’s matches are concerned.

The ICC has refused to move them out of Kolkata and Mumbai, but the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) remains steadfast that it wants to play the matches in Sri Lanka, citing a security threat.

If Bangladesh doesn’t relent, then ICC could be forced to take a radical decision. On Saturday, an ICC delegation visited Dhaka to negotiate with BCB and soften their stance. This was the second meeting between ICC and BCB in a week.

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According to ESPN, BCB doesn’t want to budge from its demand, wanting to play its matches in Sri Lanka. ICC, during the latest meeting, told them that a decision regarding their travel to India and participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 will be finalised by 21 January.

The report further added that while Bangladesh once again tried to convince ICC to move their matches outside of India during the meeting on Saturday, the global body reiterated that there are no security threats against Bangladesh in India. Bangladesh want them to be placed in Group B in place of Ireland, who play their matches in Sri Lanka.

Earlier, an ICC report independent security agency had also stated that there are “no specific or heightened threat to the Bangladesh team in India.”

The ICC is expected to wait for Bangladesh to take the final call and agree to play their matches in India. In case BCB refuses to travel to India, ICC could be forced to name a replacement team, which, as per rankings, would be Scotland.

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The whole controversy began when the Board of Control for Cricket (BCCI) asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman. The BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia had hinted that the decision was taken due to a rise in attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, but this did not go down well with the BCB, who have since been demanding a venue change, citing a possible security threat.