The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Secretary Devajit Saikia said that Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) demand to shift their matches at the upcoming T20 World Cup outside India is not something that falls in their domain, saying that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will take a call on this matter.
BCB's letters to ICC for shifting World Cup matches
Sports Tak earlier reported that the BCB has written multiple letters to the ICC requesting them to shift their upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security reasons.
Why BCB want to play T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka?
BCB's demand came after the BCCI advised Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh speedster Mustafizur Rahman. The release of Rahman, which came amid rising attacks on Hindus in the neighbouring nation.
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BCCI meeting at CoE Bengaluru
The BCCI leadership met in Mumbai on Friday to review operations at its Centre of Excellence (CoE) and discuss other important matters, particularly related to youth cricket. The meeting was attended by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, president Mithun Manhas, vice-president Rajeev Shukla, and CoE head VVS Laxman.
Devajit Saikia on BCB's request
After the meeting, Saikia was asked about Bangladesh’s request not to travel to India for the T20 World Cup. He said that the issue was beyond the Indian board’s control.
“The meeting was about CoE and other cricketing matters. It's not our domain to talk about that (as the ICC has the final say on Bangladesh's participation in the T20 World Cup),” BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia told news agency PTI.
Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026 schedule
| Date | Match | Venue | Time (IST) |
|---|---|---|---|
| February 7, 2026 | West Indies vs Bangladesh | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| February 9, 2026 | Bangladesh vs Italy | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 11:00 AM |
| February 14, 2026 | England vs Bangladesh | Eden Gardens, Kolkata | 3:00 PM |
| February 17, 2026 | Nepal vs Bangladesh | Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai | 7:00 PM |
Bangladesh squad for T20 World Cup 2026
Litton Das (C), 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