Following political tensions and Mustafizur Rahman’s forced IPL exit, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) formally asked the ICC to shift its T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing player safety and government-backed security concerns.
Bangladesh has requested that their matches at next month’s T20 World Cup be played in Sri Lanka, after India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League (IPL).
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.
BCB Makes Formal Request to ICC
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had “formally requested” the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift their games to Sri Lanka.
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“The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions,” a BCB statement read.
The decision was made due to “growing concerns regarding the safety and security” of its players, and based on its government’s advice.
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders on Saturday after the IPL team was “advised” by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so, following rising tensions between the neighboring nations.
Asif Nazrul Cites Safety Concerns of Bangladeshi Players
Earlier, Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, stated that Dhaka “will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances.”
“The days of slavery are over,” he added in a statement carried by the state-run BSS news agency.
“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,” he wrote.
‘Dignity and Security’
The T20 World Cup begins on February 7 and is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India, while Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka as part of a deal allowing both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.
India’s foreign ministry last month condemned what it called “unremitting hostility against minorities” in Muslim-majority Bangladesh, while Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.
BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul stated that “the dignity and security of our cricketers are our top priorities.”
Sports Advisor Calls for Banning Telecast of IPL Matches in Bangladesh
Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was bought at auction in December by Kolkata for over $1 million. BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that “considering recent developments” Kolkata had been “advised to release” the 30-year-old. The 2026 IPL season begins on March 26.
Nazrul also said he would request that the IPL be blocked by Bangladeshi broadcasters.
“I have requested the Information and Broadcasting Adviser to stop the broadcasting of the IPL tournament in Bangladesh,” he said.
Kolkata, majority-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, clarified that Mustafizur’s “release has been carried out following due process and consultations.”
The cricket row comes only days after tensions between the nations had appeared to have eased. India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Bangladesh last week, marking the most senior visit by an Indian official since the overthrow of Hasina. On Friday, the BCB announced that India would tour Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in September.
Bangladesh is set to hold its first elections since the uprising on February 12.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by Asianet Newsable English staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
