Bangladesh Holds Back On T20 World Cup Call, Awaits Players' Views

New Delhi: After the International Cricket Council (ICC) on Wednesday turned down Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 out of India, Bangladesh's participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup remains uncertain, with the government choosing to pause the decision until it hears directly from the country’s cricketers. 

Why is the government seeking players’ input?

On Thursday, the Bangladesh government will take a call on the participation in the T20 World Cup at a cabinet meeting.

According to sources, the Bangladesh government will also meet members of the national cricket team to take their opinion on the matter before taking a final stand.

The discussion will be done around concerns over security, travel conditions and the overall situation surrounding the tournament.

What did ICC say?

On Wednesday, the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to shift their matches out of India and said that there was no security threat to the team.

"The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup will proceed as scheduled, with Bangladesh’s matches to be played in India," the ICC said in a release.

"The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India," the ICC release added.

"The ICC Board noted that it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardise the sanctity of future ICC events and undermine its neutrality as a global governing body," ICC said.

Did BCB meet sports advisor?

According to sources, on Wednesday the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Animul Islam and a group of BCB directors visited the Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nazrul's house to discuss the issue.

Asif Nazrul will meet the Bangladesh team members at 3 pm on Thursday at a hotel to  take their opinion on T20 World Cup participation.