New Delhi, Jan 21 (NationPress) The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Wednesday that Bangladesh's matches in the forthcoming 2026 Men's T20 World Cup will proceed as planned in India. This confirmation aligns with the initial schedule set for the tournament.

This decision follows an ICC Board meeting conducted via video conferencing, where all members participated after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sought to relocate its fixtures to Sri Lanka. The request stemmed from directives issued by the BCCI to the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to exclude Mustafizur from their IPL 2026 squad, amid worsening diplomatic relations between the nations.

The ICC justified its decision based on thorough security evaluations, including independent reviews that determined there was no threat to the safety of Bangladesh's players, officials, media, or fans at the designated venues in India. "The ICC has engaged in continuous and constructive discussions with the BCB to facilitate Bangladesh's participation in the tournament," the ICC stated.

“Throughout this process, the ICC provided detailed information, including independent security assessments, comprehensive security plans for venues, and formal guarantees from the host authorities, all reaffirming that no credible or verifiable threat exists to the safety of the Bangladesh team in India.

Despite these assurances, the BCB persisted in its stance, repeatedly tying its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated event concerning one player's involvement in a domestic league. This connection holds no relevance to the tournament's security framework or the participation conditions in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup,” mentioned an ICC spokesperson.

Bangladesh's schedule is as follows: a match against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, followed by a game against Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The ICC also indicated that changes to the schedule were impractical so close to the tournament and cautioned that altering the schedule without a credible security threat could undermine the neutrality of future ICC events.

The global governing body emphasized that extensive discussions had taken place with the BCB, sharing detailed security strategies and assurances from host authorities. An in-person meeting was held in Dhaka on January 17, led by Andrew Ephgrave, ICC's General Manager in the Integrity Unit, with Gaurav Saxena, General Manager of Events and Corporate Communications, joining virtually.

“The ICC's decisions regarding venues and scheduling are driven by objective threat assessments, host guarantees, and the agreed terms for participation in the tournament, applicable uniformly to all 20 competing nations. In the absence of independent security findings that significantly compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team, the ICC cannot relocate fixtures.

“Such actions would have profound logistical and scheduling repercussions for other teams and fans globally, and would also create wider precedent-related challenges that could jeopardize the neutrality, fairness, and integrity of ICC governance. The ICC remains dedicated to acting in good faith, maintaining consistent standards, and protecting the collective interests of the global cricket community,” added the ICC spokesperson.

If Bangladesh opts out of the major event, Scotland is poised to take their place, being ranked 14th in T20Is and the highest-ranked team not yet qualified.