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

Web Desk

ISLAMABAD: The International Cricket Council (ICC) is facing backlash after releasing its promotional poster for the T20 World Cup 2026, which notably excluded Pakistan&rsquo;s captain, while featuring India&rsquo;s skipper.&nbsp;The omission has ignited claims of political bias, with fans accusing the ICC of being influenced by India&rsquo;s growing power in global cricket.&nbsp;The poster, which highlights captains from India, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, and South Africa, left out Pakistan, one of the top T20 teams.&nbsp;Fans and cricket commentators have slammed the decision, suggesting that it was politically motivated, particularly given India&rsquo;s role as a co-host of the upcoming tournament.&nbsp;Critics have pointed fingers at Jay Shah, the ICC Chairman, who is closely associated with India&rsquo;s ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP). They argue that India&rsquo;s increasing influence within cricket governance is undermining the sport&rsquo;s neutrality and fairness.&nbsp;On social media, Pakistan&rsquo;s cricket fans expressed outrage, accusing the ICC of marginalizing Pakistan&rsquo;s visibility in favor of India. &ldquo;This exclusion is too blatant to be accidental,&rdquo; said one user.&nbsp;<div class="fr-embed"><div class="twitter-tweet twitter-tweet-rendered" style="display: flex; max-width: 550px; width: 100%; margin-top: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><iframe id="twitter-widget-0" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="true" title="X Post" src="https://platform.twitter.com/embed/Tweet.html?dnt=false&embedId=twitter-widget-0&features=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%3D%3D&frame=false&hideCard=false&hideThread=false&id=1999081034592452759&lang=en&origin=https%3A%2F%2Fmain.d1wrm1qseko1cp.amplifyapp.com%2Farticles%2F&sessionId=ba08552c2cc582da3a648854d29a83adfd706612&theme=light&widgetsVersion=2615f7e52b7e0%3A1702314776716&width=550px" style="position: static; visibility: visible; width: 550px; height: 897px; display: block; flex-grow: 1;" data-tweet-id="1999081034592452759"></iframe></div></div>&ldquo;Such promotional material passes through multiple layers of approval.&rdquo; Many see this as part of a broader trend where administrative decisions reflect the geopolitics of the region, with India often at the center.&nbsp;This controversy has deepened mistrust between the cricketing nations, with Pakistanis feeling sidelined in global cricket politics. Analysts point out that such issues, whether administrative or on-field, often mirror the tense political relations between the two countries.&nbsp;Amid the turmoil, the upcoming India-Pakistan clash on February 15 next year, at Colombo&rsquo;s R. Premadasa Stadium is already set to be a high-stakes fixture that will draw immense global attention.&nbsp;Pakistan&rsquo;s group-stage matches will take place in Sri Lanka due to a neutral venue agreement, ensuring the games avoid being held in India.&nbsp;With the T20 World Cup spanning eight venues in both India and Sri Lanka, the final is scheduled for March 8, 2026, at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad.

Fans and cricket commentators slam political bias under Jay Shah’s leadership, criticizing ICC’s T20 World Cup poster for excluding Pakistan’s captain and favoring India.

Articles tagged with "International cricket council"

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

ICC T20 World Cup poster sparks outrage over Pakistan exclusion