Following Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) IPL 2026 squad, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup.
They want their tournament matches to shifted from India to Sri Lanka, akin to Pakistan. However, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has refused to do so.
The BCB is at the risk of potentially being replaced from the T20 World Cup over their stance, and now, according to a report by news agency ANI, ICC Chairman Jay Shah could consider taking strict action against Bangladesh if they do not agree to play in India.
Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup Row Deepens
ICC Chairman Jay Shah to contemplate strict action against Bangladesh if they do not agree to tour India for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. ICC Chairman in Dubai for final call: ICC Sources
— ANI (@ANI) January 23, 2026
As per the ANI report, ICC Chairman Jay Shah is in Dubai to take the final call over the matter.
Bangladesh have been given multiple opportunities and assurances to continue with their T20 World Cup schedule, but the BCB has repeatedly refused travelling to India, citing safety and security concerns for its players.
However, their demand came in pretty close to the tournament’s commencement (it starts on February 7, 2026), and the potential challenges over changing match venue this close seems to be why Bangladesh is being asked to reconsider.
It is worth noting that Pakistan will also not be playing the T20 World Cup in India, much like how the Men in Blue refuse to play in Pakistan, but their stance had been made clear well in advance.
Bangladesh is scheduled to play their first three T20 World Cup group stage fixtures in Kolkata’s Eden Gardens stadium, and then have to go to Mumbai for the final match at the Wankhede Stadium.
