ICC rejects Bangladesh’s plea to play T20 World Cup matches outside India

NEW DELHI: Cricket’s governing body said Wednesday it had rejected Bangladesh’s request to shift their T20 World Cup matches out of India, casting doubt on their participation in next month’s tournament.

The T20 World Cup begins in a little over two weeks on February 7, with Bangladesh’s four group matches scheduled to be played in Kolkata and Mumbai.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has repeatedly refused to play its games in India, and the Dhaka government said on Tuesday that they would not be pressured into changing their stance.

The International Cricket Council said in a statement that in the “absence of any independent security findings that… compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team”, the ICC will not relocate the match.

READ MORE: Bangladesh meet with ICC to request relocation of T20 World Cup matches

The row between the neighbouring nations erupted on January 3, when the Indian cricket board (BCCI) ordered the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

The BCB asked to move their matches to World Cup co-hosts Sri Lanka. There was no immediate confirmation of whether Bangladesh would buckle to the ICC’s decision.

The ICC said it had “engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue” to ensure Bangladesh could participate in the tournament, but added that those efforts had been “rebuffed.”

The ICC said in a statement that “independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities” found there was “no credible or verifiable threat to the safety” of the Bangladesh team.

The council said, despite efforts, that the BCB had maintained its position citing: “a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player’s involvement in a domestic league.”

Youth and Sports Adviser in Dhaka’s interim government Asif Nazrul told the state-run BSS news agency late Tuesday that Bangladesh “cannot be forced to play in India.”

Bangladesh captain Litton Das, speaking to reporters after a domestic match on Tuesday, said he had no idea if the team would take part.

“From where I stand, I’m uncertain, everyone is uncertain,” Das said, asking back: “Are you sure we will play the World Cup?”

“I think at this moment, the whole of Bangladesh is uncertain,” he added in comments reported by Dhaka’s Prothom Alo newspaper.

Sources in Colombo told AFP Sri Lanka had not been contacted about hosting Bangladesh’s matches.

Earlier, ICC sources told AFP that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland, who are the highest-ranked team that did not qualify for the World Cup.

During the World Cup, Bangladesh will hold its first elections since a mass uprising in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.

Political relations between India and Bangladesh have soured since.