The Bangladesh Cricket Board may ask the ICC to move its T20 World Cup games from India to Sri Lanka. This follows the BCCI instructing KKR to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman amid backlash over atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is looking to approach the International Cricket Council (ICC) to have their ICC Men's T20 World Cup matches shifted from India to Sri Lanka, in the light of Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) releasing Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman on instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket In India (BCCI), as reported by ESPNCricinfo.
BCCI instructs KKR to release Mustafizur
Mustafizur was picked by three-time IPL champions Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 9.20 crores for season 2026, and his inclusion in the Shah Rukh Khan-owned side met with immense backlash in light of atrocities against religious minorities in Bangladesh. Amid the backlash, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday instructed KKR to release the Bangladeshi pace veteran.
BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said to ANI that the it has "instructed" KKR to release Mustafizur amid the "recent developments" BCCI also assured that if the "franchise asks for any replacement, they will be allowed a replacement".
Later, in a press release, KKR confirmed that Mustafizur had been released from their squad and that the decision had been "carried out following due process and consultations, upon the instruction of the Board of Control of Cricket in India." "BCCI will allow Kolkata Knight Riders a replacement player in line with IPL regulations, and further details will be communicated in due course," the statement from KKR had added.
BCB raises player safety concerns
According to ESPNCricinfo, the BCB is likely to write to the ICC to raise concerns about player safety in Kolkata, where Bangladesh will play three of their four Group stage fixtures during the marquee tournament.
Bangladesh, part of Group C in the T20 World Cup co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka this year, is scheduled to play three fixtures against West Indies, Italy, and England at Kolkata's iconic Eden Gardens, and one against Nepal at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. The tournament starts from February 7 onwards.
Following BCB's emergency board meeting on Saturday via Zoom, the media committee chairman, Amzad Hussain, told ESPNCricinfo, "We have three matches of the T20 World Cup in Kolkata, so we will write to the ICC regarding what has happened today."
Official calls for venue change to Sri Lanka
Also, Bangladesh sports adviser Asif Nazrul expressed doubts over the team's safety in India on social media, adding that he would instruct his nation's cricket governing body to take the matter to the ICC regarding moving their matches from India to Sri Lanka, the other co-host of the marquee T20I tournament, as per ESPNCricinfo.
"I have asked the BCB to explain the entire matter to the ICC," Nazrul wrote on his official Facebook page. "The board should inform that 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. I have also instructed the Board to request that Bangladesh's World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka," he added as quoted by ESPNCricinfo.
Notably, the BCB had announced its home season fixtures for this year on Friday, including a white-ball series against India, a series which was supposed to take place last year but was postponed. (ANI)
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