Bangladesh refuse to travel to India for T20 World Cup

Bangladesh have refused to travel to India for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, with the BCB citing concerns around “safety and well-being” of the players in a climate of deteriorating political ties between the two countries, and sparked by BCCI instructions to Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman.

Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) have released Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for IPL 2026 after the BCCI “instructed” them to do so because of “recent developments”, possibly referring to geo-political developments in the region.

“Due to the recent developments which is going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement,” Devajit Saikia, the BCCI secretary, told news agency ANI on Saturday morning.

Though Saikia didn’t specify what the reason for the BCCI’s decision was, Indian news outlets over the past few days have reported Indian spiritual and political leaders as criticising KKR and their owner Shah Rukh Khan for including Mustafizur in their line-up at a time when, reportedly, Hindu minorities are being attacked in Bangladesh.

Within a few hours, KKR issued a statement confirming that “the release has been carried out following due process and consultations, upon the instruction of the Board of Control of Cricket in India”.

Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches were scheduled to be held in Kolkata and Mumbai, with their opening fixture against West Indies at Eden Gardens on February 7.

“Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” the BCB said in a statement.

“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.”

The BCB’s statement came two hours after Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul backed the board’s decision of refusing to travel to India. “The BCB has decided not to send the Bangladesh team to India for the World Cup. We welcome this decision taken in the context of the radical communal policies of the Indian cricket board,” he wrote on his official Facebook page.

It’s understood that the BCB took the decision after much deliberation. (ESPNcricinfo)