The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Sunday said it was willing to play the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in India but was bound by the decision of the Bangladesh government, which did not grant clearance for the tour.BCB director Abdur Razzak said government approval is mandatory for all overseas tours and not limited to the World Cup. Speaking to RTV, he said the board had consistently expressed its readiness to participate but had no option other than to follow official instructions.
“We have always said that we want to play, but this is the government’s decision. So we have to follow whatever the government tells us. And the decision that has been given by the government is not just for this time; whenever we have any tour, we have to get clearance from the government beforehand,” the BCB director said, as cited by the news agency ANI.BCB Media Committee chairman Amzad Hussain later confirmed that Bangladesh has been removed from the tournament and that the board has accepted the ICC’s decision without taking the matter further.He said the BCB had asked the ICC to move Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka and held several rounds of discussions before the final decision.“We requested the ICC to relocate our matches to Sri Lanka. We had several meetings with them. Their representatives arrived, and high-ranking government officials were also present. Following that, a Zoom meeting was held, and the ICC board informed us of their decision not to relocate our matches and that we would have to play in India, per the existing fixtures. However, the government held a cabinet meeting the day after the ICC board meeting. A decision was made there, clearly stating that if there are no changes to the fixtures, our team cannot participate in the tournament in India. This decision was conveyed by the government,” he said.Amzad Hussain said the ICC later sought a response within 24 hours, after which Bangladesh reiterated its position.“After that, the ICC asked us to respond within 24 hours, and we politely informed them again that it is not possible for us to play according to these fixtures. Subsequently, we have accepted the ICC board’s decision. Since the ICC has stated that we cannot play or that they cannot relocate our matches to Sri Lanka, we are not playing in India. Our stance remains the same. We are not pursuing any further arbitration or other avenues in this matter,” Amzad Hussain added further.Scotland has officially replaced Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The ICC announced the decision on Saturday, January 24, 2026. The tournament will begin on February 7, 2026, and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.The withdrawal followed the Bangladesh government’s refusal to clear the national team’s travel to India. Amzad Hussain said the government cited security concerns for players, officials and media personnel.“Since we had already spoken with our government, and the government stated that playing the World Cup matches in India is not safe for us–for our players, journalists, or anyone accompanying our players, the entire contingent–we requested that the matches be relocated to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC did not respond to this request. We tried several times, even after multiple meetings, but they did not respond. There is nothing more we can do because this is a government decision. Due to security concerns, they believe that playing in India is not safe for us, and that is why this decision has been taken by the government,” the BCB Media Committee Chairman said.Tensions had increased earlier after the BCCI reportedly asked IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the 2026 season, citing unspecified “developments all around”. The BCB viewed the move as a sign that safety assurances could not be guaranteed.The ICC said it held discussions with the BCB for more than three weeks, including meetings held in person and via video conference. It reviewed the concerns raised, commissioned independent security assessments, and shared security and operational plans covering central and state arrangements.According to the ICC, the assessments found no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh team, its officials or supporters in India. The ICC said changing the schedule was not appropriate and could affect the integrity of the tournament and future events.After its Wednesday meeting, the ICC Business Corporation Board asked the BCB to confirm participation within 24 hours. As no confirmation was received, the ICC followed its governance and qualification process to name a replacement.Scotland is the highest-ranked T20I team that had not originally qualified for the tournament. They are currently ranked 14th, ahead of Namibia, the United Arab Emirates, Nepal, the United States, Canada, Oman and Italy.
