Bangladesh Refuses India Trip for T20 World Cup

BCB cites security concerns, vows to push ICC for Sri Lanka option

January 22, 2026: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday reaffirmed its decision not to send the national team to India for next month’s T20 World Cup, citing unresolved security concerns. BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul confirmed the stance after a high-level meeting in Dhaka involving the World Cup squad and interim government’s Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul, despite the International Cricket Council (ICC) issuing a recent ultimatum.

Bulbul said Bangladesh remains keen to participate in the tournament but not on Indian soil, asserting that the security situation has not improved. The ICC had earlier rejected BCB’s request to shift Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka, even though the island nation is part of the tournament’s hybrid hosting model. “We want to play the World Cup, but we will not play in India,” Bulbul said, adding that the board would continue to fight for a venue change.

Backing the board’s position, Asif Nazrul alleged that Bangladesh’s concerns stem from a real security incident involving one of its cricketers in India and accused the ICC of not examining the issue in depth. He said the governing body had merely reiterated standard security protocols instead of addressing Bangladesh’s specific fears. The BCB has now indicated it will return to the ICC with a renewed proposal to play in Sri Lanka, warning that excluding Bangladesh could cost the tournament viewership from nearly 200 million fans.