The International Cricket Council just handed Bangladesh a stark ultimatum: play your T20 World Cup matches in India as scheduled, or Scotland takes your spot.
In a decisive board meeting on January 21, 2026, the ICC voted 14-2 to uphold the original tournament schedule, rejecting the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s demand to relocate its four group-stage matches from Indian cities to Sri Lanka. The decision came after weeks of escalating tensions that began when an Indian Premier League team dropped a Bangladeshi star player amid political backlash.
BCB now has 24 hours to confirm its participation. If it refuses, Scotland—the highest-ranked team that didn’t qualify—will replace Bangladesh in Group C.
“The schedule stands as announced in November 2025,” ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta said in a statement following the virtual meeting. “We’ve conducted independent security assessments and found no credible threats to any participating team.”
The controversy erupted in early January when Kolkata Knight Riders removed Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their 2026 IPL squad. The franchise cited social media pressure and deteriorating relations between India and Bangladesh, sparking outrage in Dhaka and setting off a diplomatic sporting crisis that now threatens Bangladesh’s World Cup campaign.
BCB officially requested the venue change on January 4, citing security concerns for its players. Bangladesh is scheduled to face England, Italy, Nepal, and West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, 9, and 14, with a final group match in Mumbai on February 17.
The board’s logic seemed simple: if one Indian franchise deemed it unsafe to field a Bangladeshi player, how could the ICC guarantee security for an entire national team?
But the ICC wasn’t buying it.
“This has nothing to do with legitimate security concerns,” said BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia during Tuesday’s meeting, according to sources familiar with the discussions. “Independent reviews show no elevated risks. This is about politics, not player safety.”
The numbers tell the story of how isolated Bangladesh’s position became. Of the ICC’s 16 full member boards, only two voted to accommodate the venue shift request. Even Pakistan Cricket Board, which initially expressed support for Bangladesh’s concerns, ultimately voted with the majority.
Three separate meetings between ICC officials and BCB representatives failed to break the deadlock. On January 13, ICC chairman Jay Shah—who also serves as BCCI secretary—rejected the first formal appeal. Bangladesh came back four days later with a compromise: swap groups with Ireland to secure Sri Lankan venues instead of Indian ones.
The answer was still no.
ICC officials cited logistical nightmares that would ripple across the 20-team tournament. Hotel bookings, stadium preparations, broadcasting arrangements, and fan ticketing had been finalized months ago. Moving one team meant potentially disrupting schedules for five others in the same group, plus knockout stage planning.
“You can’t redesign a global tournament three weeks before it starts because one board has political grievances,” said a senior ICC source who requested anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly. “Where does it end? What precedent does that set?”
The tournament runs from February 7 to March 8 across venues in India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh’s Group C includes traditional powerhouse England and West Indies, along with Nepal and tournament newcomer Italy. All four of Bangladesh’s matches were assigned to Indian soil when the schedule was released last November.
The Mustafizur situation added fuel to an already smoldering fire. The left-arm pacer, known for his devastating slower balls, had been retained by Kolkata Knight Riders for the 2026 IPL season. Then political tensions between the two nations escalated over unrelated diplomatic issues, and social media erupted with calls to boycott Bangladeshi players.
Knight Riders caved to the pressure. Mustafizur was out.
BCB director M Najmul Islam didn’t help matters when he publicly called former Bangladesh captain Tamim Iqbal an “Indian agent” for suggesting the team should focus on cricket rather than politics. The comments went viral across Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, sparking a domestic firestorm that led to Najmul’s dismissal from the board.
The social media frenzy reached fever pitch when rumors spread that Bangladesh might boycott the World Cup entirely. Pakistani cricket websites ran headlines speculating about Scotland’s potential elevation. Indian outlets accused BCB of playing victim. Live update threads on NDTV and Times of India racked up millions of views.
Bangladesh government adviser Asif Nazrul weighed in publicly, saying the cricket board had “legitimate concerns” about player welfare. But he stopped short of threatening a government-mandated withdrawal, leaving the decision to BCB officials.
The ICC shared security assessment data with Bangladesh during the January 13 meeting, according to multiple sources. Intelligence reports from Indian authorities, independent security consultants, and ICC’s own safety team all reached the same conclusion: no specific or credible threats existed against the Bangladesh cricket team.
“We’re talking about venues that have hosted IPL matches, bilateral series, and previous ICC events without incident,” the ICC source said. “Kolkata and Mumbai are among the most secure cricket facilities in the world. The infrastructure is there. The expertise is there.”
Bangladesh isn’t the first team to request special accommodations over security fears. Pakistan famously refused to play World Cup matches in India during the 2023 ODI tournament, but that dispute was resolved through diplomatic channels well before the event. Kenya withdrew from a 2003 World Cup match in New Zealand citing security concerns, though that involved a specific threat assessment.
This situation differs because BCB’s request came so late and linked explicitly to a club cricket decision rather than national security intelligence.
The Scotland angle adds another layer of drama. Cricket Scotland has already been notified to remain on standby, sources confirmed. Scotland finished just outside the qualification spots in regional qualifying tournaments but would leap at the chance to compete in their first T20 World Cup since 2021.
BCB hasn’t issued an official response to Tuesday’s ultimatum, though board president Nazmul Hassan was seen entering an emergency meeting at the federation headquarters in Dhaka late Wednesday morning local time. The 24-hour deadline expires at noon GMT on January 22.
If Bangladesh pulls out, it would mark an unprecedented withdrawal from an ICC men’s tournament by a Test-playing nation over political rather than security concerns. The financial implications alone could be staggering—potential fines, loss of ICC revenue share, and sponsorship fallout.
Several Bangladeshi players have remained conspicuously silent on social media throughout the controversy. Mustafizur hasn’t posted anything cricket-related since his IPL removal. Captain Shakib Al Hasan, who plays in multiple overseas leagues including the IPL, faces a particularly awkward position.
Cricket analysts noted the irony: Bangladesh’s best chance to advance from Group C depends on strong performances in familiar subcontinental conditions. Trading Kolkata and Mumbai for Colombo might seem politically satisfying, but it wouldn’t necessarily improve their competitive prospects.
“From a pure cricket standpoint, Bangladesh should want to play in India,” said former international umpire Simon Taufel in a YouTube interview that’s been viewed over 200,000 times. “These are world-class facilities. The pitches suit their style. This isn’t about cricket anymore.”
The tournament represents a crucial opportunity for Bangladesh cricket. They’ve never won a T20 World Cup knockout match and haven’t advanced past the group stage since 2007. Withdrawing now would squander years of preparation and potentially damage relationships across international cricket for years to come.
The clock is ticking. By this time tomorrow, we’ll know whether Bangladesh takes the field in Kolkata on February 7, or whether Scotland is packing bags for an unexpected World Cup adventure.
Either way, the ICC has made its position clear: the schedule isn’t changing, regardless of who plays.
