Dhaka: Bangladesh Sports Advisor Asif Nasrul has reaffirmed the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift the country’s T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing what he described as serious security concerns and “national dignity”.
Speaking at a press conference on Wednesday, Nasrul said the ICC failed to fully understand the gravity of the situation following recent communications between the two organisations.
“Today, after reading the ICC’s letter, we understand that the ICC is not fully aware of the extent of the security issue regarding Bangladeshi cricketers in India,” Nazrul said.
Nasrul pointed out that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had ordered Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL 2026 squad.
“I believe this is not only a security issue but also a national disgrace. We are looking at this as a security issue and the BCCI is telling the Kolkata (Knight Riders) team that they cannot provide security to this player, (so) drop him from your team. It is not very safe to play in India,” he said.
“Whatever happens next, we will take a stand accordingly. As of now, we have taken this stand very clearly and we will convince the ICC that the environment is not (right) for us to play in India,” he added.
Bangladesh are currently scheduled to play the first three group-stage matches of the tournament in Kolkata, with the final group match in Mumbai.
The grounds became controversial after Mustafizur was dropped from the IPL squad amid deteriorating diplomatic relations between the two countries, although no official reason was given.
Following the incident, the Bangladesh government banned the Indian Premier League (IPL) broadcast, and the PCB formally wrote to the ICC that it would not play its T20 World Cup matches in India.
After discussions with the ICC on Tuesday, the PCB issued a statement on Wednesday morning denying reports that it had received an ultimatum and confirming that it would continue to “constructively engage” to resolve the matter.
However, on Wednesday, Nazrul clarified that Bangladesh’s position remained unchanged.
“We do not want to comment on the broader communal situation in India,” he said. But when it comes to the safety of our cricketers, the safety of Bangladesh and the dignity of Bangladesh, there is no compromise. We want to play the World Cup, but we want to play in Sri Lanka, the other host country.
He added that Bangladesh would continue to press its case to the ICC.
“Whatever happens next, we will take a stand accordingly. As of now, we have taken this stand very clearly and we will convince the ICC that the environment is not (right) for us to play in India,” he said.
BCB president Aminul Islam, who accompanied Nazrul at the press conference, said the security concerns went beyond the team and included Bangladeshi fans and media.
“It is not possible for the cricket board to ask for the safety of every person from Bangladesh going to the World Cup, including the team, fans and journalists,” Animul said.
“That’s why we are taking the government order because you know every foreign travel requires a government order,” he added.
“We came here (to meet Nazrul) to know the status of that order. We understand that if safety and security are not improved, we will fight for our rights to go to the World Cup.”
Aminul also cited previous precedents, including India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for major events and Pakistan not touring India for the World Cup, and expressed hope that Bangladesh would get a fair result.
“We will try to convince the ICC. Security-related incidents have happened in the past too. You know security is the main reason for hybrid World Cup. So let’s establish our reasons. When the Champions Trophy happened, India did not go to Pakistan. Even Pakistan did not go to India to play the World Cup. So we will get a proper answer,” he concluded.
If Bangladesh ultimately refuse to travel to India and the ICC refuses to transfer their squads to Sri Lanka, the team could effectively be kicked out of the tournament as all their group stage matches are scheduled to be played in India.