The International Cricket Council (ICC) has asked Bangladesh to agree to play their matches in next month’s T20 World Cup in India or face expulsion from the tournament, reports said on Monday.
Bangladesh announcement on January 4, he would not play his T20 World Cup matches in India after his player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the two countries. Subsequently, Bangladesh “formally requested” the ICC to move its games to Sri Lanka.
The T20 World Cup begins on February 7 with Bangladesh in England’s Group C and is expected to play all its group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.
The BCB held discussions over the weekend in Dhaka with ICC officials over the standoff, but no agreement was reached.
“During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to move the matches from Bangladesh to Sri Lanka,” a BCB statement said.
ICC has not officially commented, but its website Cricinfo and other Indian media reported on Monday that a Wednesday deadline had been set for Dhaka to make a decision.
ICC sources said AFP that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland, who are the highest-ranked team not to have qualified for the World Cup.
One suggestion was that Bangladesh swap with Group B’s Ireland, whose matches are being held in Sri Lanka.
“Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group in order to facilitate things with minimal logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB said.
Pakistan will play all its matches in Colombo as part of an ICC agreement with India to play at neutral venues in global or regional tournaments.
The row erupted on January 3, when the IPL’s Kolkata Knight Riders were ordered by the Indian cricket board to drop Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, triggering furore in Dhaka.
Political relations between India and Bangladesh deteriorated after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.
India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unrelenting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.
