The Bangladesh Cricket Board on Tuesday said it reiterated its refusal to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup during discussions with the International Cricket Council (ICC).
Bangladesh announced on January 4 that they would not play their T20 World Cup matches in India following the departure of their player Mustafizur Rahman. 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 World Cup begins on February 7 and Bangladesh is scheduled to play its four group matches in India.
On Tuesday, in a video conference with the ICC, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it had “reiterated its request to the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh’s matches outside India”.
“The BCB has reaffirmed its position regarding the decision not to travel to India, citing security concerns,” the board said in a statement.
“While the ICC has highlighted that the tournament itinerary has already been announced and requested the BCB to reconsider its position, the Board’s position remains unchanged.”
The ICC made no comment.
The BCB said discussions with the ICC are continuing to “explore possible solutions”, it added, but that it “remains committed to safeguarding the well-being of its players, officials and staff”.
Bangladesh, led by Litton Das, is placed ninth in the ICC T20 rankings. They played in all nine editions of the tournament, but never qualified for the semi-finals.
Political ties 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.
