Bangladesh cricket - (Source: AFP)
The T20 World Cup 2026 saga between India and Bangladesh has a new development. The ICC delegates visited Bangladesh and held a meeting with BCB officials in Dhaka, where the Tigers put a new demand in front of the Jay Shah-led council.
A report from Cricbuzz stated that Bangladesh are still firm on its stance that they don’t want to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026 because of security issues. Further, the BCB has put a request that they want to swap their group with Ireland to play all their games in Sri Lanka.
Why do Bangladesh want to swap their T20 World Cup 2026 group with Ireland?
For the unversed, Bangladesh are placed in Group C with England, West Indies, Nepal, and Italy. They were scheduled to play three matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. Meanwhile, Ireland, on the other hand, are placed in Group B with Australia, Oman, Sri Lanka, and Zimbabwe.
Interestingly, Ireland will play all four of their matches in Sri Lanka and have no matches scheduled in India. Therefore, Bangladesh want to swap their group with Ireland.
BCB releases press statement on meeting with ICC delegates
"The BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh's matches to Sri Lanka. The Board also shared the Bangladesh Government's views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media, and other stakeholders. The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed."
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ICC yet to respond to Bangladesh’s demand
Notably, despite BCB’s press release, there is nothing concrete and major that has come out of the meeting. The ICC has not made any official remark regarding BCB’s suggestion, and it seems unlikely that the International Cricket Council proceeds with the suggestion.
The issue here is that the Bangladesh cricket board is only looking till the group stage, but in case they qualify further, then the knockouts are scheduled in India.
Why does Bangladesh not want to come to India?
There are multiple reasons why Bangladesh don't want to travel to India for T20 World Cup 2026. Firstly, Tensions escalated in December after the brutal lynching of Dipu Chandra Das, a Hindu factory worker in Bangladesh, an incident that sparked strong reactions in India and led to rising dissent on social media. Recently, religious group leaders called for a boycott because Indian citizens are angered by the recent events in Bangladesh.
Eventually, KKR released Mustafizur Rahman from the team for IPL 2026, which caused an uproar in Bangladesh. The BCB felt disrespected and sought action against the BCCI. Therefore, amid the sour relations, Bangladesh have refused to travel to India.
