Bangladesh will not play in India, but Bangladesh will play the World Cup in Sri Lanka! Will the ICC accept?

Bangladesh will not play in India, but Bangladesh will play the World Cup in Sri Lanka! Will the ICC accept? | Latest sports news

Last Updated:Jan 18, 2026 2:14 AM IST

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has requested the members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to allow the group change as Bangladesh wants to participate in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has requested the members of the International Cricket Council (ICC) to allow the group change as Bangladesh wants to participate in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh are now in Group B, with West Indies, Italy and England. Kolkata has most of Bangladesh’s matches. Bangladesh claim they want to switch groups with Ireland. Ireland are in Group C, along with Sri Lanka, Australia and Oman, with Ireland’s matches scheduled to be played in Colombo.

“The BCB has once again formally requested the ICC to shift Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka,” the board said in a statement on Saturday. The statement added, “The Board also conveyed to the ICC the concerns and views of the Bangladesh government regarding the safety and security of the team members, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders. Among other things, the possibility of shifting Bangladesh to another group was also discussed so that the matter could be resolved with less logistical hassle.”

India and Sri Lanka will jointly host the Men’s T20 World Cup from February 7, 2026. However, due to security concerns and rising tensions between Bangladesh and India, the BCB has insisted that the league matches be shifted to Sri Lanka.

The decision comes after a BCCI request, where the Indian Premier League’s Kolkata Knight Riders were asked to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman, the only player from his country, for the 2026 season, amid reports of abuses against the minority Hindu community.

On behalf of BCB, President Md Aminul Islam, Vice Presidents Md Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, Cricket Operations Committee Chairman Nazmul Abedeen and Chief Executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury were in the meeting with ICC.

The ICC delegation included Gaurav Saxena, General Manager of Events and Corporate Communications and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager of the Integrity Unit.