By Admin 
T20 World Cup 2026: The T20 World Cup 2026, to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka, seems to be mired in controversies even before it starts. This time the issue is regarding the matches of Bangladesh cricket team. There are reports that Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is uneasy about playing their matches in India citing security and they are demanding to hold their matches in some other country or Sri Lanka. Now BCCI has made its position clear on these speculations.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India has said that it has no official information about any ongoing talks regarding shifting of Bangladesh matches. BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia, while talking to the media, clearly said that the Board has been kept “in the dark” till now in this entire matter. According to him, if any discussion is taking place between BCB and ICC then BCCI has not been included in it.
Why did this controversy arise?
In fact, in recent times many discussions are going on regarding the environment between India and Bangladesh. Some reports claimed that Bangladesh is apprehensive about playing in India due to security reasons and political-social tension. Meanwhile, the news of Kolkata Knight Riders releasing Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman before IPL 2026 also added fuel to the issue.
After these incidents, BCB placed a demand before ICC that Bangladesh’s matches in the T20 World Cup should be held at some other place instead of India. There was also a discussion on this between ICC and BCB through video conference. Bangladesh claimed that it is not comfortable for their team to play in India in the current circumstances.
What does the ICC security report say?
According to sources associated with ICC, independent security agencies have assessed the possible venues of India. Cities like Kolkata and Mumbai have been placed in the “low to moderate risk” category in the report. ICC believes that with normal security arrangements, there is no major threat to the Bangladeshi team and the matches can be conducted as per the schedule.
ICC still on schedule
According to the current schedule, Bangladesh has to play its first match on 7 February 2026 at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Where he will face the West Indies team. After this, matches against England, Italy and Nepal are also proposed in India.
Now the question is whether ICC will accept the demand of Bangladesh and change the schedule or the team will have to come to India as per the scheduled schedule. At present, BCCI has put the ball in ICC’s court and has made it clear that they are waiting for official information.