The fight between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh has become even bigger after over 100 journalists from Bangladesh were barred from covering the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.
ICC-Bangladesh tension deepens ahead of T20 World Cup 2026
The Bangladeshi media is angry and shocked by this shocking decision of the International Cricket Council (ICC), because such a situation had never happened before. This was a result of Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the T20 World Cup 2026 due to security concerns in India.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) wanted their matches to be played outside India, as they felt that their players, fans and support staff would not be safe in the country due to the ongoing political tension between the two countries. However, the ICC rejected BCB’s request as they found no threat in repeated investigations by various teams.
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Nevertheless, Bangladesh refused to change their decision, resulting in Scotland being brought in as their replacement for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, starting on February 7. Now its impact has reached the media. Bangladeshi journalists were not given permission to cover the global event.
As per NDTV report, an ICC official confirmed that more than 100 Bangladeshi journalists were denied visas and permission to cover the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in the wake of repeated comments made by the Bangladesh government against India.
The Bangladesh government has repeatedly described India as ‘unsafe’ for travel amid the current political turmoil. “They have not been given visas or recognition because the government keeps saying it is unsafe to come to India,” an ICC official shared on condition of anonymity.
This decision has sparked outrage in the sports media of Bangladesh. For many years, Bangladeshi journalists have covered ICC events around the world, including matches in India. Now, completely blocking all reporters is considered unfair and extremely harmful.
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There are also concerns that this may affect the coverage of matches in Sri Lanka. Now, Bangladeshi journalists have approached major press bodies including the Bangladesh Sports Press Association and Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community to decide their next step.
NDTV quoted Rana Abbas, sports editor of Aajkar magazine, as saying, “Such an incident has never happened before in Bangladesh. Bangladeshi journalists have covered ICC events since before the country’s first World Cup appearance in 1999, including high-profile matches like India vs Pakistan, even when played in India. Never before have all correspondents been dismissed in this manner. History of ICC events “This is unprecedented and extremely unfortunate.”
Rana further said, “I would say this is extremely sad. In global sport, even journalists from non-participating countries are usually accommodated – FIFA being the clearest example. This issue risks setting a harmful precedent and could also impact the coverage of matches in Sri Lanka. For Bangladeshi journalists, it is extremely disappointing to face such widespread rejection for the first time.”
