The International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) request to relocate Bangladesh's matches for the Men's T20 World Cup 2026 out of India. The decision was taken at an ICC Board meeting held on Wednesday, where the governing body gave the BCB a final 24 hours to reconsider its stance.
If Bangladesh refuses to travel to India, the ICC will replace them with Scotland, the highest-ranked side not already qualified for the tournament, according to ESPNCricinfo. Scotland, currently 14th in the ICC Men's T20I rankings, stand next in line to enter the competition should Bangladesh withdraw.
According to multiple reports, including those from ESPNcricinfo and Cricbuzz, all 16 Full Member nations attended the board meeting, and 14 of the 16 members voted against altering the tournament schedule.
In a statement on its website, the ICC said:
"The decision was reached after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in the country. It was noted that it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule in the absence of any credible security threat could set a precedent that would jeopardise the sanctity of future ICC events and undermine its neutrality as a global governing body."
The PCB had earlier supported BCB's demand and wrote to the ICC endorsing a relocation of Bangladesh's fixtures. Bangladesh are placed in Group C, alongside England, Italy, Nepal and West Indies. As per the existing schedule, they are slated to play three matches in Kolkata on Feb. 7, 9 and 14, followed by a final group game in Mumbai on Feb. 17.
The controversy stems from tensions that escalated after the BCCI directed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Bangladesh seamer Mustafizur Rahman from their 2026 squad-an instruction that angered Bangladesh cricket stakeholders.
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