PCB Tells ICC It Backs Bangladesh’s Refusal To Play T20 World Cup Matches In India
The ICC Board is expected to meet on Wednesday to take a final call on Bangladesh’s participation at the T20 World Cup
On Tuesday, a day before the ICC is expected to take a final call on Bangladesh’s participation at the 2026 men’s T20 World Cup, the PCB wrote to the governing body stating that it supports the BCB’s stance on not wanting to play in India at a time of political turbulence in the neighbourhood. ESPNcricinfo has learned that PCB also copied the members of the ICC Board in it.
It is understood that the ICC has called a Board meeting on Wednesday to address the matter of the BCB asking for Bangladesh‘s matches to be shifted to Sri Lanka due to security concerns in India. It could not be ascertained if the PCB’s email led to the Board meeting being called.(Edited)Restore original
The timing of the PCB email could raise eyebrows, but it is understood that it will not influence the ICC’s stance so far, of not changing the World Cup schedule and allowing Bangladesh to play in Sri Lanka, co-hosts of the tournament with India. The ICC has been firm on this and has conveyed the same to the BCB during its interactions last week.
The BCB, with the Bangladesh government’s support, has declined to travel to India for the team’s group-stage games.
The ICC and the BCB have met several times to discuss the issue, most recently in Dhaka last weekend. But neither side has shifted their stances – the ICC insisting matches must go forward as planned and the BCB that it cannot send its team to India. January 21 – Wednesday – had been set as a deadline for a decision, less than three weeks before the start of the tournament.
The PCB‘s late involvement in the matter comes on the back of a week of speculation surrounding their possible ways out of the impasse. There were unconfirmed reports that the PCB had offered to stage Bangladesh’s games in Pakistan and, more dramatically, that the PCB was reviewing Pakistan’s participation in the World Cup, contingent on what happens with Bangladesh.
The PCB has not commented publicly on the matter, or replied to ESPNcricinfo’s queries.
The stand-off started when the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for IPL 2026. The reasons for that have never been fully explained, though a worsening of political ties between Bangladesh and India has been cited. That prompted the Bangladesh government to formally state that the Bangladesh team would not play its matches in India.
The situation has spiraled since then, even leading to a player boycott in Bangladesh, which affected the ongoing BPL, after a senior BCB official spoke disparagingly of the country’s premier players when asked about the financial implications for the BCB if Bangladesh ended up staying away from the T20 World Cup overall.
On the eve of the ICC meeting, the PCB wrote to the global body stating that it supports the BCB’s position, citing political instability in the region and has copied all ICC Board members on the letter, according to a report.
The Pakistan Cricket Board has reportedly supported Bangladesh’s stance of refusing to play its T20 World Cup matches in India due to “security concerns” in a communication to the ICC. The ICC Board is scheduled to meet on Wednesday to take a final call on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup, including whether the team will travel to India for the tournament beginning February 7. Bangladesh are slated to play all four of their group-stage matches in India, with the first three scheduled in Kolkata and the remaining one in Mumbai.
However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board, backed by its government, has remained adamant and sought a shift of its matches to co-hosts Sri Lanka.
On the eve of the ICC meeting, the PCB wrote to the global body stating that it supports the BCB’s stand, citing political instability in the region and has copied all ICC Board members on the letter, according to ‘ESPNCricinfo’.
The ICC and the BCB have held multiple discussions on the issue, including a meeting in Bangladesh last weekend, but neither side has changed its position.
While the ICC has insisted that the tournament be held as per schedule, the BCB has maintained that it cannot send their team to India.
The PCB has not made any public comment on the matter although Board sources have said that the Bangladesh government had approached Pakistan for support in the ICC.
Pakistan will be playing all their matches in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model deal with the BCCI and ICC till 2027.
The crisis related to Bangladesh started after Kolkata Knight Riders released pacer Mustafizur Rahman following a directive from the BCCI, which referred to “recent developments all around”.
Subsequently, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL, and the BCB formally notified the ICC of its decision of not playing World Cup matches in India.
NEW DELHI:
peculation surrounding the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has increased after reports claimed the Pakistan Cricket Board had stopped its preparations in support of Bangladesh. However, former Pakistan cricketers have rejected these reports, calling them unrealistic and premature.
Former wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal questioned the logic behind the claims.
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