In a bid to resolve the impasse, the International Cricket Council is set to meet the Bangladesh Cricket Board over its refusal to send the cricket team to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, ESPNCricinfo reported.
The report added that ICC will have a call with the BCB on Tuesday, during which the International board will likely ask the Bangladesh board to send its team for the league stage matches to India. Bangladesh are set to feature in four league stage matches in India. Three of them will be in Kolkata vs West Indies (on February 7), vs Italy (on February 9), and vs England (on February 14), while their game against Nepal is set to take place in Mumbai on February 17.
Meanwhile, as per a report in the news agency PTI, the meeting was delayed as it could not take place on Tuesday.
BCB refused to travel to India
Meanwhile, BCB had issued a statement on January 4 to refuse travelling to India for the T20 World Cup on 'advice from the Bangladesh Government'. The Board also requested the ICC to relocate the team's matches outside India. This came after the BCCI directed KKR to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.
"Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions," the BCB said in a release.
"In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India. The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter," the statement read.
The Bangladesh government has not issued any travel advisory or imposed any restrictions on its citizens travelling to or living in India.
Meanwhile, the ICC has not made a public statement on the matter. ICC chairman Jay Shah was at the BCCI head office in Mumbai yesterday and deliberated on the next steps.
Bangladesh government orders indefinite ban on IPL telecast
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh government has imposed an indefinite ban on the telecast and promotion of the Indian Premier League, following the exit of Mustafizur Rahman for the upcoming season. "The decision of BCCI to exclude Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad for the upcoming IPL, scheduled to begin on 26 March, has deeply hurt, saddened, and angered the people of Bangladesh. Under these circumstances, Bangladesh's I&B Ministry has informed that until further notice, all IPL matches and related programs will remain suspended from broadcast/telecast in Bangladesh," Bangladesh's Ministry of Information and Broadcasting said in a statement.
BCCI instructed KKR to release Mustafizur
Meanwhile, the 2024 IPL champions KKR released Mustafizur on the BCCI's instructions on Saturday, January 3. "Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL, as the regulator of IPL, has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.
"The release has been carried out following due process and consultations, upon the instruction of the Board of Control of Cricket in India," KKR said in a statement. This came after BCCI asked KKR to release the pacer due to the current political situation in Bangladesh and the killings of a few Hindus since former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's ouster from the nation.
