No visas or no accreditation? The truth behind ICC’s decision on Bangladeshi media

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly turned down accreditation requests from Bangladeshi journalists who wanted to cover the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup. The tournament is scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7.

This comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided not to take part in the tournament under the existing schedule, which required Bangladesh to play their group matches in India. Following Bangladesh’s withdrawal, Scotland was brought in as a replacement team.

Bangladesh had earlier requested that the ICC relocate their group-stage matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns. These concerns were raised after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released from the IPL 2026. The BCB repeatedly pushed for a change in venues and even suggested swapping groups with Ireland, but the ICC rejected the requests and proceeded with replacing Bangladesh, thereby ending weeks of uncertainty.

ALSO READ: West Indies batter hints at retirement after not being included in T20 World Cup squad

Bangladeshi media on T20 World Cup accredations

According to a report by The Daily Star, some Bangladeshi photojournalists initially received emails approving their accreditation on January 20 and 21. However, those approvals were later withdrawn without explanation.

BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain said that between 130 and 150 Bangladeshi journalists had applied for accreditation this year. “As far as I know, all Bangladeshi journalists were rejected. None of them received accreditation,” he said.

ALSO READ: Yashasvi Jaiswal's condition improves, likely to make competitive return in this match

Will ICC grant visas for Bangladeshi journalists?

However, Sports Tak understands that the International Cricket Council (ICC) is reworking the media accreditation process for Bangladesh journalists wishing to cover the T20 World Cup in India.

"There is a reworking of the process since there is a change in the number of requests and the schedules. The accreditation lists are being worked out accordingly," ICC sources told SportsTak.

How many Bangladeshi journalists will get visa?

Around 80 to 90 Bangladeshi journalists applied for media accreditation, but sources said that even if Bangladesh had taken part in the ICC tournament, it would not have been possible to approve all of the applications.

"If you go by country quota, you can't exceed the number beyond 40. The ICC goes by the recommendations of the home board and accordingly takes a call on applications," sources added.