Thursday 22 / January / 2026
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Bangladesh government have solidified their refusal to play T20 World Cup matches in India, escalating a high-stakes standoff with the International Cricket Council (ICC), according to ESPN.
Following a pivotal meeting in Dhaka between cricket officials and the government’s sports advisor, the nation reaffirmed its demand to have its fixtures relocated to Sri Lanka under a "hybrid model."
The decision comes in the wake of an ICC Board meeting held on Wednesday, where the global governing body dismissed Bangladesh's security concerns. The ICC has issued a stark warning: if the BCB continues to resist playing in India, Bangladesh will be replaced in the tournament entirely. Despite a 24-hour ultimatum from the ICC, BCB President Aminul Islam remained defiant during a post-meeting press conference, labeling the ultimatum as unreasonable for a global body.
According to ESPN, BCB president Aminul Islam said, "We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka. They did give us a 24 hour ultimatum but a global body can't really do that. ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup. It will be their loss ... ICC is calling Sri Lanka co-hosts. They are not co-hosts. It is a hybrid model. Some of the things I heard in the ICC meeting was shocking."
