The Indian board has reacted to the news that Bangladesh’s World Cup qualifiers have been shifted from India.
After Mustafizur Rehman was banned from the IPL, the tension between India and Bangladesh increased.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been ordered to demand that Bangladesh’s league matches in the T20 World Cup 2026 be shifted from India to Sri Lanka, as concerns over the safety of the players have grown following the release of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL.
Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dropped Mustafizur Rehman from the team on BCCI’s instructions. It was bought for INR 9.20 crore at an auction in Abu Dhabi last month.
BCB president and former captain Eminul Islam did not make any statement after the emergency board meeting after the incident. However, Bangladesh Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul said that he has instructed the board to send a formal request to the ICC to have the four Bangladesh league matches played in Sri Lanka.
Asif Nazrul wrote on his Facebook page that the board should make it clear that if a Bangladeshi player who is contractually eligible to play in India is not safe there, then the national team cannot be safe while playing games in India. He added that the board should formally request that the matches be held in Sri Lanka.
In the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh’s first match is against West Indies on February 7, second match against Italy on February 9, third match against England on February 14 and fourth match against Nepal on February 17.
BCCI sources said with just a month left it was “almost impossible” to change the venue of the matches. He said that the match cannot be changed at anyone’s request, it is too difficult logistically.
BCCI sources said that flight tickets and hotels of the teams have been booked. There’s also a broadcast crew, so that’s easier said than done.
It is worth mentioning that India had refused to go to Pakistan in the previous Champions Cup and after that an agreement was made between the two countries to hold the matches at a neutral place. According to this agreement, Pakistan will play its World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.
