Bangladesh wants T20 World Cup games shifted from India to Sri Lanka

Amid increasing governmental tension, a Bangladeshi authoritative voices concerns implicit information of players successful India during the upcoming tournament.

Bangladesh volition petition the International Cricket Council (ICC) to displacement its team’s T20 World Cup fixtures from India to Sri Lanka implicit concerns astir its players’ safety, pursuing the removal of a apical Bangladeshi subordinate from the Indian Premier League (IPL), a authorities authoritative has said.

Amid increasing governmental hostility betwixt the South Asian neighbours, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been asked by its authorities to constitute to the ICC, requesting a alteration of venue for its games and seeking clarity connected accelerated bowler Mustafizur Rahman’s abrupt removal from the IPL, younker and sports advisor Asif Nazrul said successful a connection connected Saturday.

“As the advisor successful complaint of the Sports Ministry, I person asked the BCB to explicate the full substance to ICC. The committee should pass that wherever a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play successful India contempt being contracted, the full Bangladeshi cricket squad cannot consciousness harmless going to play successful the World Cup,” Asif wrote successful a societal media post.

“I person besides instructed the committee to petition that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches should beryllium held successful Sri Lanka,” helium added.

“We volition not judge immoderate insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh nether immoderate circumstances. The days of slavery are over.”

BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul said the committee volition clasp an exigency gathering aboriginal connected Sunday.

“The dignity and information of our cricketers are our apical priorities, and we volition instrumentality a determination astatine the due time, keeping these successful mind,” helium told reporters precocious connected Saturday.

Defending champions India and 2014 winners Sri Lanka volition cohost the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 from February 7 to March 8.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play each their group-stage matches successful India, with 3 fixtures allocated to Eden Gardens successful Kolkata and 1 to the Wankhede Stadium successful Mumbai.

Should the ICC – headed by erstwhile BCCI main Jay Shah – see the BCB’s request, Bangladesh volition go the 2nd state to person its games moved retired of India.

Sri Lanka volition big each of Pakistan’s matches arsenic the 2009 champions volition not question to India successful an ICC-brokered statement that allows the bitter rivals to debar travelling crossed their communal border.

Earlier connected Saturday, the squad Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed that Mustafizur had been released from the franchise’s squad for IPL 2026 aft the BCCI advised it to bash so, and the determination was confirmed by the Indian cricket board’s secretary, Devajit Saikia.

“Due to the caller developments which are going connected each across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to merchandise 1 of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has besides said that if they inquire for immoderate replacement, BCCI is going to let that replacement,” Saikia told Indian quality bureau ANI.

Political hostility spills implicit into sport

The ongoing tensions betwixt India and Bangladesh person flared successful caller weeks aft a 25-year-old Hindu antheral was lynched and burned publically successful Bangladesh pursuing allegations of blasphemy.

India’s Ministry of External Affairs past period condemned what it called “unremitting hostility against minorities”.

A fewer days later, Hindutva activists tried to tempest the Bangladesh High Commission successful New Delhi arsenic they rallied against the neighbouring federation for failing to support its Hindu minorities.

Diplomatic relations betwixt the once-close allies person been sharply tested since August past year, erstwhile erstwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi from Dhaka aft an uprising against her rule.

Bangladesh blames India for immoderate of its troubles, including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s enactment for Hasina erstwhile she was successful power.

Political tensions person spilled implicit into athletics successful caller months, with the Bangladeshi women’s cricket team’s caller circuit of India postponed indefinitely, and the Indian men’s team’s circuit of Bangladesh gathering the aforesaid destiny successful August.

The BCCI’s determination to person Mustafizur removed from the IPL has met with backlash successful Bangladesh, wherever the fashionable franchise league whitethorn look a blackout.

Bangladeshi authorities authoritative Nazrul said helium had requested the nationalist broadcasting assemblage to “stop broadcasting of IPL tourney successful Bangladesh”.