Bangladesh’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is still pending, with less than three weeks to go. As the deadlock over venue and security issues intensifies, Aminul Islam, head of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), has made a final plea to the International Cricket Council, hoping for a miracle. Bangladesh now stands the genuine risk of being replaced if the players refuse to travel to India, despite their desire to compete in the major event.
After Bangladesh’s bid to move their World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka was officially denied at an International Cricket Council Board meeting on Wednesday, the situation worsened. Only Pakistan supported the BCB’s position out of the fifteen directors in attendance. The International Cricket Council referenced several independent security evaluations that concluded there was no real danger to Bangladeshi officials or athletes in India. But despite the worsening political ties between the two nations, the BCB is still unconvinced and has reiterated time and again that it does not think India is safe for its players.
The only BCB representative present at the meeting, Aminul Islam, stated that he requested further time to confer with the Bangladeshi government. Bangladesh has a final 24 to 48 hours to decide whether or not to travel, according to the ICC.
“I am expecting that the ICC will do a miracle. Who wouldn’t want to compete in the World Cup? Following the news announcement from the ICC, we are unable to comment. An hour and a half passed during the meeting. Before the vote started, we gave the ICC board an explanation of our choice. We had no desire to cast a ballot. According to Cricbuzz, Aminul stated, “We took a step back.”
ICC threatens to replace Bangladesh if they don’t visit India.
Due to logistical concerns and opposition from other boards, especially Sri Lanka Cricket, the BCB’s proposals to move their matches to Sri Lanka or switch groups with Ireland or Zimbabwe were turned down. The BCCI ordered the IPL team Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 roster earlier this month, which set off the stoppage. The BCB has repeatedly referenced the event as a warning sign amid broader political tensions, despite the ICC dismissing it as unconnected to World Cup security.
No agreement has been achieved after weeks of correspondence, phone conversations, and face-to-face contacts, including trips to Dhaka by ICC security personnel. Starting with the tournament opener against the West Indies on February 7, Bangladesh will play their first three Group C games in Kolkata and their final group encounter in Mumbai.
Notably, the ICC has made it quite plain that if Bangladesh doesn’t get to India by the deadline, they will be replaced. According to rankings, Scotland is anticipated to be the replacement squad. Changing locations so close to the tournament, according to the ICC, would create a risky precedent and compromise the impartiality and integrity of international competitions. It showed that all teams are subject to the same participation terms and that all security commitments have been fulfilled.
India
