Bangladesh wants T20 World Cup matches shifted from India to Sri Lanka | Cricket News

Amid growing political tensions, a Bangladeshi official expresses concerns over the safety of players in India during the upcoming tournament.

Bangladesh will request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift its team’s T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka due to concerns over the safety of its players, following the withdrawal of a top Bangladeshi player from the Indian Premier League (IPL), a government official said.

Amid growing political tensions between the South Asian neighbors, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been asked by its government to write to the ICC, seeking a change of venue for its matches and seeking clarification on fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman’s abrupt withdrawal from the IPL, Advisor on Youth and Sports Asif Nazrul said in a statement on Saturday.

“As an advisor in charge of the Sports Ministry, I have requested the BCB to explain the whole matter to the ICC. The board should inform that where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite his contract, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe to play in the World Cup,” Asif wrote in a social media post.

“I have also requested the board to request that Bangladesh World Cup matches be played in Sri Lanka,” he added.

“We will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances. The days of slavery are over.”

BCB chairman Aminul Islam Bulbul said the board would hold an emergency meeting later on Sunday.

“The dignity and safety of our cricketers are our top priorities, and we will take a decision at the appropriate time, keeping that in mind,” he told reporters on Saturday evening.

Defending champions India and 2014 winners Sri Lanka will co-host the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 from February 7 to March 8.

Bangladesh are expected to play all their group stage matches in India, with three matches allocated to Kolkata’s Eden Gardens and one to Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.

If the ICC – led by former BCCI chief Jay Shah – considers the BCB’s request, Bangladesh will become the second country to have its games moved outside India.

Sri Lanka will host all of Pakistan’s matches as the 2009 champions will not travel to India under an ICC-brokered deal that allows the bitter rivals to avoid crossing their mutual border.

Earlier on Saturday, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team confirmed that Mustafizur had been released from the franchise’s squad for IPL 2026 after the BCCI advised him to do so, and the move was confirmed by Indian Cricket Board Secretary Devajit Saikia.

“Due to the recent developments happening everywhere, the BCCI has asked the KKR franchise to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and the BCCI has also said that if they ask for a replacement, the BCCI will allow that replacement,” Saikia told Indian news agency ANI.

Political tension spills over into sport

Ongoing tensions between India and Bangladesh have flared in recent weeks after a 25-year-old Hindu man was lynched and publicly burned in Bangladesh following allegations of blasphemy.

India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unrelenting hostility against minorities.”

Days later, Hindutva activists attempted to storm the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi as they rallied against the neighboring country for its failure to protect its Hindu minorities.

Diplomatic relations between the once-close allies have been strained since August last year, when former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled Dhaka for New Delhi after an uprising against her rule.

Bangladesh blames some of its problems on India, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s support for Hasina when she was in power.

Political tensions have spilled over into sport in recent months, with the Bangladesh women’s cricket team’s recent tour of India postponed indefinitely and the Indian men’s team’s tour of Bangladesh meeting the same fate in August.

The BCCI’s decision to withdraw Mustafizur from the IPL has sparked backlash in Bangladesh, where the popular franchise league could face a blackout.

Bangladesh government official Nazrul said he had asked the national broadcaster to “stop broadcasting the IPL tournament in Bangladesh”.