The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has announced that its national team will not travel to India for the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. The decision was taken on January 22 following an internal board meeting. A day earlier, on January 21, the ICC held discussions with BCB officials and made it clear that Scotland would replace Bangladesh if they chose to opt out ahead of the tournament’s scheduled start on February 7.
BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul said Bangladesh still wishes to participate in the World Cup but not in India. He stated that the board would continue its communication with the ICC, adding that there were “shocking calls” during the ICC Board meeting. Bulbul also alleged that issues such as the Mustafizur Rahman matter were part of a broader pattern, claiming India acted as the sole decision-maker in those cases.
Bulbul further said the ICC had rejected Bangladesh’s request to relocate their matches outside India, raising concerns about the future and governance of world cricket. He warned that excluding large populations from hosting or participating could hurt the sport’s global popularity, calling it a failure of the ICC if countries like Bangladesh feel sidelined even as cricket prepares to enter the Olympics.
