A day before the International Cricket Council is scheduled to make a final decision regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, the PCB wrote to the governing body to express support for the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s position of not wanting to play matches in India amid political tensions in the region.
The PCB also copied ICC Board members on the communication, according to ESPNcricinfo. In response to the BCB’s proposal to relocate Bangladesh’s World Cup matches to Sri Lanka due to security concerns in India, the ICC is reportedly holding a Board meeting on Wednesday. Whether the meeting was initiated by the PCB’s communication is yet unknown.
Although the timing of the PCB’s intervention has drawn criticism, insiders suggest it is unlikely to change the ICC’s current position. Even though Sri Lanka is co-hosting the tournament with India, the ICC has repeatedly insisted that the tournament schedule will not be altered to accommodate Bangladesh’s matches there. The BCB was informed of this stance during last week’s talks.
Supported by the government of Bangladesh, the BCB has declined to send its squad to play in the group stage in India. Despite several discussions, including one last weekend in Dhaka, the ICC and the BCB have not been able to resolve their differences, with neither party changing their stance. Less than three weeks prior to the start of the competition, on January 21, the deadline for a resolution had been established.
After speculating about potential outcomes for a week, the PCB finally got involved. According to unconfirmed rumours, Pakistan might have offered to host Bangladesh’s games or that the PCB was considering Pakistan’s participation in light of current events.
The PCB has not made any public remarks or answered any questions.
The conflict began after the Indian Cricket Board ordered the Kolkata Knight Riders to cut Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League 2026 roster. The government of Bangladesh formally announced that the national team will not play in India, citing deteriorating political relations as one of the reasons, however the exact reasons were never completely explained.
The issue worsened after a top BCB official’s comments regarding possible financial repercussions received harsh criticism from players, leading to a player boycott that interrupted the ongoing Bangladesh Premier League.
An important decision regarding Bangladesh’s World Cup participation now looms when the ICC Board meets.India
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