Former India cricketer Madan Lal has said that Pakistan influenced Bangladesh’s decision to withdraw from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India. Lal described the move by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) as “stupid” and politically motivated, and said that “India will lose nothing” if they do not participate.
The T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to run from February 7 to March 8 in India and Sri Lanka. After the board meeting, BCB refused to tour India, calling ICC’s decision unfair. The board said its requests to shift the matches to Sri Lanka or a neutral venue were ignored.
Pakistan is instigating Bangladesh not to participate- Madan Lal
Madan Lal criticized Pakistan while reacting to Bangladesh’s stand on T20 World Cup. He said that Bangladesh is being pushed into this decision only to raise a political issue against India. Lal warned that Bangladesh would suffer the most, as they would suffer huge business losses.
Madan Lal told India Today, “I think it is foolish, I can say this because India is not going to lose anything. Bangladesh is going to lose everything because from a commercial point of view Bangladesh is going to suffer a lot by not participating in such a big tournament.”
“I think it is Pakistan that is instigating them not to participate in this tournament. They just want to bring India down,” he said.
It is one of the safest places in India – Madan Lal
Madan Lal said that there is no real danger if he plays in India. He informed that the matches are scheduled in Mumbai, which he described as one of the safest cities in the country.
Lal said India would not be affected by Bangladesh’s decision and claimed that the issue was political. He said Pakistan and Bangladesh were working together in an attempt to target India instead of responding to genuine security concerns.
“They are playing in Mumbai, and it is one of the safest places in India. It doesn’t make any difference to the Indian board or anything, but I think it’s all politics, Pakistan and Bangladesh are playing their role very strongly because they want to humiliate India, and that’s the point,” Lal said.
Bangladesh-India cricket relations tense ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
Cricket relations between Bangladesh and India have come under strain after the Board of Control for Cricket in India asked Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026.
Pakistan Cricket Board has also reached a deadlock. According to reports, Pakistan is supporting Bangladesh’s position, while some sections of the Pakistani media claimed that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has halted the team’s preparations as the board awaits clarity.
Bangladesh has to play all four group matches in India. They are set to face West Indies, Italy and England at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, followed by the final group match against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
If Bangladesh qualifies for the Super Eights, some matches will be held in India depending on their group finish. Bangladesh reached the Super Eights in the 2024 T20 World Cup but failed to reach the semi-finals.
Also read: BCCI will prepare Team Nepal to replace Bangladesh in international cricket
