In meeting with ICC, Bangladesh reiterates its refusal to travel to India for T20 World Cup

Bangladesh’s cricket board said on Tuesday it had repeated its refusal to travel to India for next month’s T20 World Cup during talks with the International Cricket Council (ICC) governing body.

Bangladesh announced on Jan 4 that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India after its player Mustafizur Rahman was released by his Indian Premier League (IPL) team amid growing tensions between the two countries. Subsequently, Bangladesh “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift its games to Sri Lanka.

The World Cup begins on February 7 and Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India.

On Tuesday, during a video conference with the ICC, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it had “reiterated its request for the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh’s matches outside India”.

“The BCB reaffirmed its position regarding the decision not to travel to India, citing security concerns,” the BCB said in a statement.

“While the ICC highlighted that the tournament itinerary has already been announced and requested the BCB to reconsider its stance, the Board’s position remains unchanged.”

The ICC have not commented.

The BCB said discussions with the ICC continue to “explore possible solutions”, it added, but that it “remains committed to safeguarding the well-being of its players, officials and staff”.

Bangladesh, led by Litton Das, are placed ninth in the ICC T20 rankings. They have played all nine editions of the tournament, but have never qualified for the semi-finals.

Political ties between India and Bangladesh soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.

India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unremitting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Bangladesh’s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.