The first mega event of the calendar year is just a few sleeps away as India and Sri Lanka gear up to co-host the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. However, not everything looks alright with Bangladesh’s participation still not confirmed. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has expressed its reluctance to travel to India to play any of their World Cup fixtures citing security concerns.
This move comes in after the BCCI directed the Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh’s star pacer Mustafizur Rehman due to increasing political tensions between the two nations. However, this has resulted in a massive problem for the ICC and BCCI as they are now forced to shift Bangladesh’s three fixtures to different venues with Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram looking the most ideal destinations.
The BCB has written twice to the governing body to shift their games to Sri Lanka and have also said that changing venues within India will not help their cause. But, as reported by Cricbuzz, the ICC is not ready to accept this demand due to multiple logistical complications involved in shifting the games. The Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) and Kerala Cricket Association (KCA) are willing to host the matches, but there hasn’t been any official communication from the ICC in regard to this matter.
The Tigers were scheduled to play the West Indies on February 7 followed by a clash against Italy on February 9 and then England on February 14, all in Kolkata before flying to the Western coast to lock horns with Nepal on February 17 in Mumbai. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have added more fuel to the fire by offering help to host all of Bangladesh's three fixtures if the games are not hosted in either India or Sri Lanka. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi has expressed Pakistan’s willingness to host the games, as per a Geo News report.
