KARACHI: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (PCB) will approach the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change the venues for the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, citing security reasons, Bangladesh media reported on Saturday.
According to a report, a PCB official said that the ICC will take the decision regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming mega event and subject to the apex body’s approval, the Tigers may follow Pakistan’s footsteps to play all their matches in Sri Lanka instead of India.
Barring comment on the release of veteran left-arm fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) squad for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the official added that the PCB would escalate the matter to the ICC soon.
“I cannot comment on Mustafizur’s release as it is their internal matter, but as far as participation in the World Cup is concerned, it is an ICC event and they will take the final call, all things considered,” a PCB official was quoted as saying.
However, earlier today, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devjit Saikia cited ‘nationwide unrest’ over allowing a Bangladeshi player to participate in IPL 2026, while announcing that he had instructed KKR to release Rahman.
For the uninitiated, Bangladesh, drawn in Group C, are set to open their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against the West Indies on February 7 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata, before playing their next two group-stage matches against Italy and England on February 9 and 14 respectively.
Bangladesh’s final group-stage match against Nepal is scheduled for February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.