International Cricket Council (ICC) President Jay Shah may take strict action against the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) amid the ongoing controversy over the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026, starting in February.
India and Sri Lanka will be joint hosts of the tournament. All the teams participating in the competition have started their preparations, including Bangladesh. But the BCB has made their stance clear – they will not be traveling to India to play the tournament due to ‘safety and security concerns’ over players, fans and media personnel.
Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from IPL 2026 remains a major concern for Bangladesh
The situation between India and Bangladesh has become tense after the exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026. Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) included Bangladesh in the international team for a huge fee. But after BCCI’s instructions they had to release the fast bowler. After which, citing concerns over the security of the Bangladesh contingent, the BCB refused to travel to India to play T20 World Cup matches.
Bangladesh’s cricket governing body has requested the ICC to shift its matches from India to Sri Lanka. Bangladesh cricket team is originally scheduled to play its group matches at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. But the council turned down his request to shift the venue out of India. The council also maintains a standby team in case there is a need to replace Bangladesh in the tournament.
ICC may take strict action against Bangladesh
“International Cricket Council president Jay Shah will consider taking strict action against Bangladesh if they do not agree to tour India for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup 2026,” ANI reported. The report further states that the risk factor in India is low to moderate, which is not a matter of concern for the Bangladesh cricket team.
According to the report, ICC sources said on Monday, the overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, which is in line with the profile of many major global sporting events.
Bangladesh Cricket Board has made its decision clear
On Thursday, BCB President Aminul Islam said that they are willing to participate in the T20 World Cup but not by traveling to India. For this they can contact ICC again.
“We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we will not play in India. We will keep fighting. There were some shocking calls in the ICC board meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated issue. They (India) were the sole decision makers on that issue,” he said.
He further said that the ICC has rejected his petition to shift his matches out of India. According to BCB President, the popularity of cricket is decreasing globally.
read moreBCB announces legal battle after ICC rejects demand for change in venue of T20 World Cup 2026