The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to postpone their planned tour of Ireland in September. This decision was made with the hope of hosting India for a long-awaited white-ball series during that same window, as reported by Cricbuzz.
However, Cricket Ireland made it clear that their schedule for 2026 is already packed, and there was no room to move the series to another time slot. Because of this, both boards agreed to delay the tour and look for a new window, likely in 2027.
What were the originally scheduled dates for the tour of Bangladesh?
India were originally supposed to tour Bangladesh in 2025, but that series was pushed back. Now, India are expected to arrive on August 28 for a series of three ODIs, followed by three T20Is. The ODI matches are scheduled for September 1, 3, and 6, while the T20Is will be played on September 9, 12, and 13.
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A BCB official explained that they had tried to reschedule the Ireland series after India’s tour was moved to September, but it was not possible. With Ireland also unable to adjust, the two boards decided to postpone the series for now.
This shift also comes at an important time for Bangladesh. After their recent 2-1 series win over Pakistan, they have moved up to ninth in the ICC ODI rankings with 79 points, just ahead of the West Indies.
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Bangladesh's ODI Rankings
To qualify directly for the 2027 ODI World Cup in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia, Bangladesh need to finish inside the top eight in the rankings by March 31, 2027. Teams outside that group will have to go through a qualifying tournament.
With the Ireland tour now postponed, Bangladesh will focus on a busy schedule that includes hosting teams like New Zealand, Australia, and India, along with tours to South Africa and Zimbabwe.
However, there is still some uncertainty around the India series. It depends on approval from the Indian government due to ongoing diplomatic issues. If that tour gets delayed again, Bangladesh could end up playing fewer ODI matches than planned before the World Cup qualification deadline.