ICC rejects BCB's request to relocate T20 WC matches

It is all but curtains for Bangladesh in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Their demands to relocate their games out of India has backfired. Even a last-minute expression of solidarity from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), has not cut any ice with the all-powerful Board of the International Cricket Council (ICC).

The Board held an emergency meeting on Wednesday (January 21) to adjudicate on the matter, and at the virtual conclave, all but two members voted against Bangladesh's request. It was obvious who the two were in the 16-member board - Pakistan and Bangladesh, understandably. Post the meeting, the ICC Board issued a final deadline - effectively an ultimatum - to Bangladesh, which has been intransigent in their demand for relocation of their games.

The BCB has 24 hours to decide whether they will travel to India for the February 7-March 8 World Cup, failing which the ICC will replace them with another country. Over the next few hours, the BCB will be required to go back to their government to take a final call. Scotland are tipped to replace Bangladesh in Group C should they fail to comply with the deadline.

A source said it was always the case and at the last minute the ICC was not going to change their plan. Things took a curious turn after the PCB dashed off a missive supporting the BCB's demand but the Pakistan and Bangladesh delegation failed to convince the Board.

The ICC reviewed the security assessments conducted, including independent reviews and found no credible threat to the Bangladesh players, fans, media fraternity and officials in India. As a result, they saw no reason to comply with the BCB's request to move their matches to Sri Lanka.

The BCB had floated the idea of a group swap with Ireland, who play all their games in Sri Lanka. But that plan was never going to take off, and on that very day Cricket Ireland had said that it had assurances from the ICC that its schedule would not change. The same point was reiterated at the meeting.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play three of their four group-stage fixtures in Kolkata on February 7, 9 and 14 against West Indies, Italy and England, in that order, before travelling to Mumbai for their final clash against Nepal, slated to be played at the Wankhede Stadium on February 17.

ICC releases statement

Later in the day, the ICC also released a statement following the board meeting reiterating their stance. "The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India," the ICC said.

An ICC spokesperson was also dismissive of the BCB's insistence on linking Mustafizur Rahman's exclusion from the IPL to a possible security threat for their players in India. "Over the past several weeks, the ICC has engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue, with the clear objective of enabling Bangladesh's participation in the tournament," the spokesperson said. "During this period, the ICC has shared detailed inputs, including independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities, all of which consistently concluded that there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.

"Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its player's involvement in a domestic league. This linkage has no bearing on the tournament's security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup."