NEW DELHI: Cricket&#39;s governing body said Wednesday it had rejected Bangladesh&#39;s request to shift their T20 World Cup matches out of India, casting doubt on their participation in next month&#39;s tournament.&nbsp;The T20 World Cup begins in a little over two weeks on February 7, with Bangladesh&#39;s four group matches scheduled to be played in Kolkata and Mumbai.&nbsp;The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has repeatedly refused to play its games in India, and the Dhaka government said on Tuesday that they would not be pressured into changing their stance.&nbsp;The International Cricket Council said in a statement that in the &quot;absence of any independent security findings that... compromise the safety of the Bangladesh team&quot;, the ICC will not relocate the match.&nbsp;The row between the neighbouring nations erupted on January 3, when the Indian cricket board (BCCI) ordered the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.&nbsp;The BCB asked to <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/jay-shahled-icc-tells-bangladesh-play-in-india-or-miss-t20-wc" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">move</a> their matches to World Cup co-hosts Sri Lanka. There was no immediate confirmation of whether Bangladesh would buckle to the ICC&#39;s decision.&nbsp;The ICC said it had &quot;engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue&quot; to ensure Bangladesh could participate in the tournament, but added that those efforts had been &quot;rebuffed.&quot;&nbsp;The ICC said in a statement that &quot;independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities&quot; found there was &quot;no credible or verifiable <a href="https://www.pakistantv.com/article/no-conducive-environment-to-play-t20-world-cup-in-india-bangladesh-adviser" target="_blank" style="color:#0073e6;" rel="noopener noreferrer">threat</a> to the safety&quot; of the Bangladesh team.&nbsp;The council said, despite efforts, that the BCB had maintained its position citing: &quot;a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player&#39;s involvement in a domestic league.&quot;&nbsp;Youth and Sports Adviser in Dhaka&#39;s interim government Asif Nazrul told the state-run BSS news agency late Tuesday that Bangladesh &quot;cannot be forced to play in India.&quot;&nbsp;Bangladesh captain Litton Das, speaking to reporters after a domestic match on Tuesday, said he had no idea if the team would take part.&nbsp;&quot;From where I stand, I&#39;m uncertain, everyone is uncertain,&quot; Das said, asking back: &quot;Are you sure we will play the World Cup?&quot;&nbsp;&quot;I think at this moment, the whole of Bangladesh is uncertain,&quot; he added in comments reported by Dhaka&#39;s Prothom Alo newspaper.&nbsp;Sources in Colombo told AFP Sri Lanka had not been contacted about hosting Bangladesh&#39;s matches.&nbsp;Earlier, ICC sources told AFP that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland, who are the highest-ranked team that did not qualify for the World Cup.&nbsp;During the World Cup, Bangladesh will hold its first elections since a mass uprising in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.&nbsp;Political relations between India and Bangladesh have soured since.

Cricket

ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to move T20 World Cup matches from India, citing no security threat. Bangladesh may boycott amid political tensions, uncertainty over participation, and disputes after an IPL-related incident involving a Bangladeshi player.

ICC rejects Bangladesh's plea to play T20 World Cup matches outside India

DHAKA: Bangladesh has requested their matches at next month&#39;s T20 World Cup be played in Sri Lanka, after India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League. Political relations between India and Bangladesh soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had &quot;formally requested&quot; the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift their games to Sri Lanka. &quot;The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,&quot; a BCB statement read. It said its decision was made due to &quot;growing concerns regarding the safety and security&quot; of its players, and based on its government&#39;s advice. Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was on Saturday released by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the IPL team were &quot;advised&quot; by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so, following tensions between the neighbouring nations. Earlier, Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, said that Dhaka &quot;will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances.&quot; &quot;The days of slavery are over,&quot; he added, in a statement carried by the state-run BSS news agency on Sunday. &quot;Where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup,&quot; he wrote.&nbsp;Dignity and securityThe T20 World Cup begins on February 7, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India. Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of a deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments. India&#39;s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called &quot;unremitting hostility against minorities&quot; in Muslim-majority Bangladesh. Bangladesh&#39;s interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence. BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul earlier said that &quot;the dignity and security of our cricketers are our top priorities&quot;. Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was snapped up at auction in December by Kolkata for more than $1 million. But BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that &quot;considering recent developments&quot; Kolkata had been &quot;advised to release&quot; the 30-year-old. The 2026 IPL season begins on March 26. Nazrul said he would also ask that the IPL be blocked by Bangladeshi broadcasters. &quot;I have requested the Information and Broadcasting Adviser to stop the broadcasting of the IPL tournament in Bangladesh,&quot; he said. Kolkata, majority-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, subsequently said that Mustafizur&#39;s &quot;release has been carried out following due process and consultations&quot;. The cricket row comes only days after tensions between the nations had appeared to have eased. India&#39;s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Bangladesh last week, the most senior visit by an Indian official since the overthrow of Hasina. On Friday, the BCB announced that India would go to Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in September. Bangladesh will hold its first elections since the uprising on February 12.

Bangladesh asked for their T20 World Cup games to be moved to Sri Lanka after India forced Mustafizur Rahman out of the IPL, saying their players’ safety and respect are at risk because of political tensions.

Bangladesh say will not play T20 World Cup matches if in India

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The killing of a Bangladeshi activist known for his outspoken criticism of India has sparked nationwide protests across Bangladesh and heightened political tensions, as authorities launched a manhunt for those responsible, according to Indian media reports. Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was a vocal opponent of India, where Bangladesh&rsquo;s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka following the 2024 uprising. His death has triggered unrest across Bangladesh, with demonstrators demanding swift arrests and accountability. Iqbal Hossain Saikot, a government employee who traveled to the capital to attend Hadi&rsquo;s funeral, said he believed the killing was linked to Hadi&rsquo;s political stance. &ldquo;The millions of Bangladeshi people who love the land and its sovereign territory will carry on Hadi&rsquo;s legacy,&rdquo; Saikot said. Police in Bangladesh said they had launched a manhunt for the attackers but had not reported any breakthroughs by Tuesday. In neighboring India,&nbsp;counterprotests were held&nbsp;over the alleged mob lynching of a Hindu worker in Dhaka.&nbsp; On Monday, leaders from Indian opposition parties and members of the Congress party staged demonstrations outside the Bangladesh Deputy High Commission in Kolkata and outside its High Commission in New Delhi. The report said Hindutva organizations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and the Bajrang Dal, called the demonstrations. Protesters clashed with police after being barred from entering the diplomatic mission. Effigies of Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser to Bangladesh&rsquo;s interim government, were burned on the road during the unrest, according to Indian media reports. Ties between neighbors Bangladesh and India have deteriorated since the uprising, with Dhaka demanding New Delhi extradite Sheikh Hasina, who has been sentenced to death in absentia after being charged with crimes against humanity.

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and religious activists with posters of Muhammad Yunus, Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government shout slogans during a protest near the Deputy High Commission of Bangladesh office in Kolkata on December 22, 2025.

Asia

The killing of a Bangladeshi activist known for his outspoken criticism of India has sparked nationwide protests in Bangladesh and heightened political tensions, as authorities launched a manhunt for those responsible.

Anti-India sentiment grows in Bangladesh after killing of activist

Pakistan TV Satellite

ISLAMABAD: The recent thaw in Pakistan&ndash;Bangladesh relations has been welcomed by journalists, commentators, and diplomats, following signals from Dhaka that it is considering restoring direct flights and easing visa restrictions between the two countries.&nbsp;Senior Pakistani journalist Hamid Mir called the development &ldquo;great news&quot;, expressing hope that visa procedures will become simpler and more accessible for ordinary people.&nbsp;In a video message, Hamid Mir said: &quot;It was a very pleasant surprise to watch the interview of an adviser of the Bangladeshi government, Syeda Rizwana Hasan, on Pakistan TV when she disclosed that there is a possibility of direct flights between Pakistan and Bangladesh.&quot;&nbsp;Many analysts say improved travel could help reconnect families, business communities, academics and cultural groups separated by decades of strained ties.&nbsp;The reactions came after Syeda Rizwana Hassan, Adviser for Environment in Bangladesh&rsquo;s interim government, in an interview with Pakistan TV, said Dhaka is actively considering reinstating direct air links and may even explore visa-free travel in the future. <figure class="fr-media"><video controls="" src="https://paktv-assets-7d41fab8.s3.eu-west-2.amazonaws.com/uploads/28214c1f-315d-4778-8815-ad385e4b0024-ANPK_16x9_xxxxx.mp4" class="fr-draggable fr-fvc fr-dvb"> </video></figure> &nbsp;She said such steps would support business confidence, enhance people-to-people contact, and strengthen regional cooperation.&nbsp;Bangladeshi journalist Wahiduzzaman Noor described the shift as &ldquo;a major move after years of diplomatic deadlock&rdquo;, while former US diplomat Jon Danilowicz welcomed the idea, noting that South Asia remains &ldquo;one of the least connected regions in the world&rdquo;, and that easier travel and trade corridors could encourage stability and economic growth.&nbsp;On social media, many described the development as a &ldquo;much-needed reset&quot;, saying the change in tone could help rebuild trust and revive the historic and cultural ties between Pakistan and Bangladesh.&nbsp;Observers say that progress may be gradual, but the gesture is widely seen as a positive step towards renewed engagement and regional understanding.

Beyond Borders

Pakistan and Bangladesh are moving towards restoring direct flights and easing visas, a development welcomed by journalists and diplomats as a positive step to rebuild trust, boost connectivity, and strengthen regional cooperation.


Articles tagged with "BANGLADESH"

ICC rejects Bangladesh's plea to play T20 World Cup matches outside India

Bangladesh say will not play T20 World Cup matches if in India

Anti-India sentiment grows in Bangladesh after killing of activist

Thaw in Pakistan–Bangladesh relations welcomed