The India-Bangladesh cricketing rivalry might just have escalated to new levels. A day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) urged Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad, a new development has occurred. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided that Bangladesh won't play its scheduled T20 World Cup matches on Indian soil.
The BCB had previously written to the ICC and BCCI regarding security arrangements for the World Cup but in the wake of the Mustafizur episode, the Board has decided to take a strong stand against playing in India. Currently, Pakistan are the only team that won't play any matches in India due to the prior agreement between PCB and BCCI.
An official statement from the BCB is awaited but if they decide to stick to their stand, BCCI and SLC will face a new logistical challenge. Bangladesh were scheduled to play all their league games in India with three of the four matches in Kolkata and one game in Mumbai.
Generally, teams opting out of a venue have had to forfeit points but in this case, all league games are in India, which means that Bangladesh would have to effectively boycott the tournament if their demands aren't met. That, however, will be a worst case scenario and currently, a resolution is expected on this deadlock.
Bangladesh's schedule for T20 World Cup 2026
February 7: vs West Indies at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata
February 9: vs Italy at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata
February 14: vs England at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata
February 17: vs Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai
