Bangladesh will not play their T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India due to concerns regarding players' safety and well-being, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said on Sunday.
Discussions over Bangladesh potentially refusing to play their T20 World Cup fixtures in India gained traction following the release of pacer Mustafizur Rahman by his Indian Premier League side amid growing tension between the two nations.
In a statement, the BCB said it had decided not to send its team to India, which is co-hosting the upcoming tournament with Sri Lanka.
"The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India," the cricket board added.
Citing growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent, the BCB said that the Bangladesh team will not play its games in India.
It added that it has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to consider relocating all of Bangladesh's matches to a venue outside India.
The BCB said that such a measure was necessary to safeguard the safety of Bangladeshi players, team officials, and other stakeholders, and it looked forward to the ICC's urgent response to their request.
The statement comes shortly after the country's sports adviser, Asif Nazrul, said that the decision was taken in the context of the extreme communal policy of India's cricket board.
"The board said that where a Bangladesh cricketer can't play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladesh cricket team can't feel safe to go to the World Cup," Nazrul said.
"I have also instructed the board to request Bangladesh World Cup games to be held in Sri Lanka."
Nazrul said he had ordered the BCB to write to the ICC.
Last month, hundreds protested near Bangladesh's High Commission in New Delhi after Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das was beaten and set on fire in Bangladesh's Mymensingh district by a crowd.
A total of 12 people were arrested in connection with his death.
The incident worsened relations between India and its neighbour, with ties already strained after Bangladesh's former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to New Delhi following protests against her.
After Mustafizur's release on Saturday, ESPNCricinfo reported the BCB had held an emergency meeting and were planning to write to the ICC to relocate their matches and raise concerns about player safety.
"We have three matches of the T20 World Cup in Kolkata, so we will write to the ICC regarding what has happened today," BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hussain told ESPNcricinfo.
Last year, the ICC allowed India to play Champions Trophy matches in the United Arab Emirates due to soured relations with hosts Pakistan.
On Sunday, cricket news site Cricbuzz reported that the BCB would ask the BCCI for a formal explanation regarding Mustafizur's release.
The ICC and BCB did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
Bangladesh are due to play West Indies, England and Italy in Kolkata before ending the group stage against Nepal in Mumbai.
Fast bowlers Mustafizur Rahman and Taskin Ahmed will lead Bangladesh's bowling attack at next month's Twenty20 World Cup, while batter Jaker Ali was axed as the country's cricket board (BCB) named their 15-man squad for the tournament on Sunday.
Taskin, who has taken 106 wickets in 86 T20Is, returns to the team after missing their 2-1 series win over Ireland in December while he was competing in the Abu Dhabi T10 league.
Mustafizur and Taskin will spearhead a pace department which also includes Tanzim Hasan, Shoriful Islam and Mohammad Saifuddin, with Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed and Mahedi Hasan the spinners in the squad.
Litton Das will captain the team and will be tasked with putting runs on the board alongside Tanzid Hasan and Saif Hassan.
Jaker misses out after a poor 2025 in which he managed just 378 runs in 26 T20Is.
Bangladesh squad:
Litton Das (captain), Tanzid Hasan, Parvez Hossain Emon, Saif Hassan, Tawhid Hridoy, Shamim Hossain, Quazi Nurul Hasan Sohan, Shak Mahedi Hasan, Rishad Hossain, Nasum Ahmed, Mustafizur Rahman, Tanzim Hasan Sakib, Taskin Ahmed, Shaif Uddin, Shoriful Islam
