NEW DELHI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided that Bangladesh’s cricket team will not travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup. The decision was taken at a meeting held on Sunday afternoon, which was attended by 17 members of the Board of Directors, according to a report by Bangladeshi news outlet Prothom Alo.The issue was discussed in the backdrop of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s exclusion from the Indian Premier League (IPL). BCB directors had earlier held an online meeting on Saturday night to discuss the matter.
At that point, most of the directors were in favour of not taking any strict step. However, the Prothom Alo report said that after intervention from the government, the board reviewed its stance and changed the decision.The development comes after Mustafizur Rahman was released by IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), amid rising diplomatic tension between India and Bangladesh.KKR had bought the 30-year-old left-arm pacer for Rs 9.20 crore at the players’ auction last month. His base price was Rs 2 crore, and the bidding involved Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals.The BCCI said KKR will be allowed to name a replacement player if needed for the tournament, which is scheduled to begin on March 26.India and Sri Lanka are the joint hosts of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. As per the schedule released so far, Bangladesh are slated to play West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, which is the opening day of the tournament.Bangladesh’s remaining three group-stage matches are also scheduled to take place in Kolkata and Mumbai.Earlier on Sunday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced a 15-member squad for the World Cup, with Liton Das named as captain.
