The International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are all set to address all the concerns regarding the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 starting from February 7 in India and Sri Lanka.
Jay Shah-led ICC ready to give verdict on Bangladesh’s India concerns
The ICC headed by Jay Shah is set to give its official response to the Bangladesh Cricket Board within Monday (January 12) or Tuesday (January 13) after receiving Bangladesh’s formal request to shift the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 group matches out of India.
BCB raised security concerns and asked to move its games to Sri Lanka. He made this request after Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released from IPL 2026 by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on the orders of BCCI earlier this month.
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The BCCI made the call after fans and several political leaders demanded a ban on Bangladeshi players in the IPL due to alleged killings and violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. This move did not go down well with BCB and Bangladesh government and they banned IPL 2026 in their country.
ICC unlikely to accept BCB’s demand
Later, the Bangladesh board decided not to send their team to India for the upcoming mega event citing security reasons and they even sent emails to ICC twice with documents to prove their point.
Now, the governing body headed by Jay Shah is ready with its response. It is being said that ICC is not ready to shift Bangladesh’s matches out of India. Instead, the governing body suggested Indian cities such as Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram as alternative venues for the BCB.
Bangladesh awaits Indian government’s response amid T20 World Cup security debate
At present Bangladesh has to play its group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had earlier rejected Chennai as a venue, with the board making it clear that such decisions cannot be taken by cricket officials alone.
BCB president Aminul Islam said, “Since you know we are not taking decisions alone regarding this World Cup, we will discuss it with the government, and we are still where we stood.”
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On the government front, Bangladesh is also waiting for direct communication from the Indian government regarding security concerns during the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
Bangladeshi umpires in India may decide Tigers’ ICC T20 World Cup 2026 fate
Meanwhile, Bangladeshi umpire Sharafuddaula Saikat officiated in the first ODI between India and New Zealand in Vadodara. Both Saikat and Ghazi Sohail are expected to serve as match officials for the T20 World Cup.
This could play a big role in the ICC’s response, as the presence of Bangladeshi match officials in India could be used to address the security concerns raised by the BCB and support the case for the Tigers traveling to India for their matches at the showpiece event.
Now all eyes are on the ICC call as there are less than four weeks left for the tournament and the teams are scheduled to arrive in the first week of February for training and preparations. With schedules, logistics and security plans already in place, the ICC is eager to find a solution and bring the matter to a close.