The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially decided that the Bangladesh national cricket team will not travel to India to participate in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup next month, a move that marks a significant escalation in cricketing and diplomatic tensions between the two neighbouring countries.
The decision was disclosed on Sunday by Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul, who described the move as a necessary response to what he characterised as discriminatory conduct by Indian cricket authorities. According to him, BCB formally adopted the decision at a meeting held earlier in the day.
“Bangladesh will not go to India to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh Cricket Board took this decision today,” Nazrul wrote in a post on social media. “I welcome this decision adopted in the context of the Indian board’s radical communal policy,” he added.
The announcement represents a sharp departure from the BCB’s earlier position, which had focused on seeking a relocation of Bangladesh’s matches from India to a neutral venue, particularly Sri Lanka, due to security concerns. Sunday’s development effectively signals a boycott of playing on Indian soil.
The standoff intensified following the controversial exclusion of Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL). Mustafizur was released by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) last week following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), which cited unspecified “recent developments” as the reason behind the decision.
The move triggered widespread debate in both countries, especially after sections of Indian political and religious leaders publicly welcomed Mustafizur’s exclusion. Some statements, describing the decision as a “victory for Hindus,” drew sharp condemnation in Bangladesh and heightened concerns over the politicisation of sport.
In Dhaka, the Mustafizur episode was discussed extensively at multiple levels. BCB directors reportedly held an online meeting on Saturday night to assess the situation, followed by a full board meeting on Sunday afternoon, attended by 17 directors, where the final decision was taken.
Concerns over player safety and fair treatment were central to the discussions. Bangladesh are scheduled to play all four of their group-stage matches in India, with three fixtures set to take place in Kolkata — the same city at the centre of the IPL controversy.
Beyond participation in the World Cup, the fallout has also extended to broadcast-related issues. Information and Broadcasting Adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan said earlier that the government is reviewing legal options to ban the telecast of the 2026 IPL in Bangladesh.
“There is no way to sit silent; a reaction must be shown,” Rizwana Hasan said at the Secretariat, adding that the administration would first complete a legal assessment before taking any final decision.
Her comments echoed earlier remarks by Asif Nazrul, who said that Bangladesh could no longer accept actions that undermine dignity and fairness in sports relations.
As of Sunday evening, neither the BCCI nor the International Cricket Council (ICC) had issued an official response to Bangladesh’s decision. The BCB has also yet to release a formal statement outlining its next steps.
With the T20 World Cup fast approaching, Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India places the ICC under mounting pressure to address the situation, raising uncertainty over tournament logistics and regional cricketing ties.
