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Relations between India and Bangladesh were at a new low ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup due to geopolitical tensions. Later political viewpoints also influenced cricket. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to allow cricketers to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, citing safety concerns.
After the incident, intervention of the International Cricket Council (ICC) was required to calm the matter, will India face the Tiger Brigade for the bilateral series? Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devjit Saikia opened his mouth about BCCI’s current view on whether the Indian cricket team will face them in the near future.
Will India face Bangladesh after the drama ahead of the 2026 T20 World Cup?
Putting the ball in the Indian government’s court, Devjit Saikia said that the duty of BCCI is only to control things related to cricket, it is not their job to comment and take any decision about anything under any political scenario.
For any bilateral series or any multinational tournament, the board acts as per the instructions of the government. If the Indian government allows the Men in Blue to face Bangladesh, then there will be an India vs Bangladesh match on the card, and if the government says no, then there will be no bilateral game against the nation.
Devjit Saikia made BCCI’s stand clear
“BCCI is a cricket control board, and we have nothing to do with what is going on politically in other countries. As BCCI, we follow whatever policy the Government of India has regarding participation in bilateral and multinational sporting events. Whatever rules and policies the central government makes, we follow them like any other sports federation, be it football, athletics or any other sport,” the BCCI secretary clearly said.
He further mentioned that the board is not bothered with the government that is running a particular country. If a tour of a foreign country is scheduled for bilateral competitions, they will take steps as per the rules.
Saikia said, “We are not concerned with who is running the government in a particular country, whether it is a democratically elected, undemocratically elected or an autocratic government. That is not our job. Our job is to run cricket. Whenever a tour of a foreign country is scheduled for bilateral matches, we will proceed as per our plans and schedule.”
Video | BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia says any decision on India’s tour of Bangladesh will be taken in line with Indian government policies, stressing that the board’s role is to run cricket and not comment on political developments in neighboring countries.
“BCCI is a… pic.twitter.com/wFBK3X270W
– Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) June 19, 2026
BCB trying to restore relationship
Meanwhile, the current officials of the Bangladesh Cricket Board are keen to maintain a healthy competition with India and the Indian cricket board. Former Bangladesh cricket team captain and newly appointed BCB president Tamim Iqbal has earlier said that he would like to maintain healthy relations with his neighboring country.
Earlier this month, it was widely reported that the BCB, under the leadership of Tamim, is actively working to restore its relations with the BCCI so that it can play bilateral matches in the near future. For a long time, even before being appointed as the chairman of the board, he has been a prominent figure who has publicly advocated for better cricketing relations between the two countries.