Sports, Jan 16: The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Thursday said it was not aware of any communication between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) regarding a request to shift Bangladesh’s matches in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 outside India.
Speaking to ANI, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said the Indian board was not in the loop on any such correspondence and had not received any official information on the matter. He added that the BCCI would respond once it was formally informed.
A video conference between the BCB and the ICC was held earlier this week to discuss Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament, which is to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Reports suggested that the BCB raised concerns about playing in India following the release of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from Kolkata Knight Riders’ IPL 2026 squad, reportedly on BCCI instructions, amid debates over the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul had claimed that there was “no atmosphere to play” in India, citing a letter from the ICC security team. However, the ICC conducted independent risk assessments through internationally recognised security experts and found the overall security risk in India to be low to moderate, with no specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team, officials or match venues.
Sources said the ICC noted that its security planning for the tournament remained under continuous review and that all participating boards, including Bangladesh, were being consulted. The ICC also expressed confidence in the security arrangements being developed in coordination with the BCCI and local authorities.
The tournament schedule remained unchanged. Bangladesh were slated to play their group-stage matches in Kolkata and Mumbai, facing West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, followed by England and Nepal, with their final group match scheduled for February 17.
The ICC reiterated that player safety and the integrity of the tournament continued to be its highest priorities.
