Bangladesh decides to boycott T20 World Cup 2026, ICC names replacement

New Delhi: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has anounced that their national team won’t be travelling to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The decision was made on January 22 after an internal meeting of the BCB. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has named a replacement.

What is the stand of the Bangladesh Cricket Board?

The Bangladesh government has decided that its team will not play its T20 World Cup matches in India, which are scheduled to begin next month. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is still hoping for a concession from the ICC. BCB president Aminul Islam said on Thursday that the board would make one last attempt to persuade the ICC to shift their matches to Sri Lanka. The ICC, however, had already made it clear on Wednesday that the matches would not be moved. If Bangladesh does not play its World Cup matches in India, another team will be given its place in the tournament.

Speaking to reporters in Dhaka on Thursday, Islam said, "We all want to play in the World Cup. The security issue in India remains a concern for our players and support staff. It started with one of our players being excluded from their tournament. The ICC may say there are no security concerns, but our player was excluded from their tournament. That country is hosting the World Cup. What has changed since then? If Mustafizur [Rahman] cannot be provided with security, how can we trust that the ICC will provide us with security? We want to play in the World Cup, but not in India."

Will Pakistan also boycott T20 World Cup 2026?

Before the news of Bangladesh boycotting the T20 World Cup broke, Pakistan's Geo News had made a big claim in its report. According to the Geo News report, Pakistan could boycott the T20 World Cup if Bangladesh's demands are not met. According to the report, PCB officials are currently waiting to see what decision Bangladesh takes. Now that Bangladesh has decided to boycott the World Cup, it remains to be seen whether Pakistan will also take a similar step in support of them.

What is the ICC stand?

Earlier, the ICC had rejected Bangladesh's demands in its board meeting on Wednesday. The ICC said that Bangladesh would have to play its T20 World Cup matches in India as per the pre-determined schedule. The ICC clarified that the matches would be held as per the schedule as there is no credible threat to the security of Bangladeshi players, officials, or fans at any of the tournament venues in India.

This decision was taken at a meeting of the ICC Board held via video conference, which was convened to discuss the situation after the BCB expressed concerns about playing in India and demanded a change of venues.

ICC officials told the media that 14 out of 16 members voted against the BCB's request to shift the matches. The ICC has given the BCB another day to consider and make a final decision.

"Of all the members, only the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and Pakistan voted in favor of the request to shift the matches, while all other members voted against it. Bangladesh was given until January 21 to confirm its participation in the World Cup, but the ICC Board has given them another day to present their case," an ICC official said.

Why did the controversy arise?

This crisis arose after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the Kolkata Knight Riders team for this year's Indian Premier League at the behest of the BCCI. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) subsequently announced that their team would not travel to India for their World Cup group stage matches scheduled to be held in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Bangladesh wanted to shift their matches to Sri Lanka. They have been placed in Group C of the World Cup, alongside West Indies, Italy, England, and Nepal.

In their previous meeting with ICC officials in Dhaka, the BCB had proposed that their team be moved to Group B, replacing Ireland, which includes co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Oman, and Zimbabwe. All their demands have been rejected.

Former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal and current Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto have warned against taking a hardline stance on this controversial issue. Tamim Iqbal stated that the decisions made today will have serious consequences over the next 10 years.