ICC rejects BCB's request to relocate T20 World Cup matches
Bangladesh's demand to relocate their matches out of India for the 2026 T20 World Cup has been rejected by the ICC. An emergency board meeting was held, where all but two members voted against the request—understood to be Pakistan and Bangladesh.
The ICC has issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). They must confirm whether they will travel to India for the tournament (February 7–March 8) or face replacement. Scotland is tipped to replace them in Group C if they do not comply.
The BCB had proposed a group swap with Ireland, who play all their matches in Sri Lanka, but Cricket Ireland stated it had assurances from the ICC that its schedule would not change.
Bangladesh's scheduled group matches:
- February 7 vs West Indies in Kolkata
- February 9 vs Italy in Kolkata
- February 14 vs England in Kolkata
- February 17 vs Nepal in Mumbai (Wankhede Stadium)
The ICC released a statement following the meeting, saying: "The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India."
An ICC spokesperson dismissed the BCB's attempt to link Mustafizur Rahman's exclusion from the IPL to security concerns for the national team in India, calling it an "isolated and unrelated development" with no bearing on World Cup security.
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