Bangladesh Cricket Board said it is concerned about the security of its players in India.
| Photo Credit: AP
Bangladesh will not play the T20 World Cup in India, the country’s youth and sports adviser Asif Nazrul said on Thursday (January 22, 2026).
According to a report by Bangladesh’s Prothom Alo newspaper, Mr. Nazrul said that the International Cricket Council (ICC) did not do justice by not shifting the league matches of the Bangladesh cricket team to Sri Lanka despite requests by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
The decision to not travel to India was taken by the Bangladesh government and its stand on the security of Bangladeshi cricketers in India remains the same, he was quoted as saying by the newspaper’s website.
BCB president Aminul Islam said that the board still “expects to play the matches in Sri Lanka and will continue the fight”.
The ICC had on Wednesday (January 22, 2026) rejected the request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to shift its team’s T20 World Cup fixtures to Sri Lanka, saying the matches will proceed as scheduled since there was no credible threat to the safety of Bangladesh players, officials or fans at any of the tournament venues in India.
The decision was taken at an ICC Board meeting held via video conference, which was convened to discuss the situation after the BCB raised concerns and sought a change in venues.
“The ICC Board noted that relocating matches under the present circumstances could jeopardise the sanctity of ICC events and undermine the organisation’s neutrality as a global governing body,” the ICC said in a statement.
According to the ICC, the Board reviewed multiple security assessments, including independent evaluations, all of which concluded that there was no credible threat to Bangladesh players.
Published – January 22, 2026 04:59 pm IST
