 "The Bangladesh Cricket Board has refused to send its senior men's team to India for the ICC T20 World Cup citing safety and security concerns. Reuters")
The International Cricket Council hasn’t been on the same page as the Bangladesh Cricket Board ever since the latter refused to travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup and demanded their group-stage matches be moved out of the country. And it is highly unlikely they will be giving into Bangladesh’s demand anytime soon.
According to a report on Cricbuzz, none of the security assessments that have taken place in the build-up to ICC’s showpiece T20 event has found any credible threat to the Bangladesh contingent in India.
“It is important to clarify that the ICC’s independent risk assessments, carried out by internationally recognised security experts, do not conclude that Bangladesh cannot play its scheduled matches in India,” a source was quoted as saying in the report.
“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.”
‘No indication of risks that cannot be effectively managed’
The report also claims that the ICC is aware of the statements coming from Bangladesh – from the sports advisor to the interim government Asif Nazrul to top BCB officials including president Aminul Islam Bulbul.
The Dubai-based governing body for the sport, however, is confident there aren’t any risks in the upcoming tournament, which runs from 7 February to 8 March, that they will not be able to handle.
“The ICC is aware of public comments made in recent days concerning the participation of Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, including selective references to the ICC’s security risk assessment. The assessments did not identify any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team, team officials, or match venues in India.
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View All“Based on the professional advice received, the risk associated with Bangladesh’s scheduled fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai is assessed as low to moderate, with no indication of risks that cannot be effectively managed through established security planning and mitigation measures.”
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The source also denied rumours of the ICC advising Bangladesh to not pick pacer Mustafizur Rahman or their fans to avoid wearing their team’s jersey while in India, adding that it the governing body is not authorised to make such statements.
“The ICC has full confidence in the security arrangements being developed in close collaboration with the BCCI and relevant local authorities, who have a strong and proven track record of safely delivering major international sporting events,” the report further quoted sources as saying.
BCB had refused to send the Litton Das-led Bangladesh squad to India citing “safety and security” concerns. The announcement had come at a time of strained diplomatic ties between New Delhi and Dhaka, and was made right after Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad, reportedly on the advice of the Board of Control for Cricket in India.