The T20 World Cup 2026 has been in the news after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it does not want to play matches in India. Notably, the marquee event will be hosted by India and Sri Lanka from next month.
Will Ireland Swap venue with Bangladesh?
According to reports from Bangladesh, the BCB suggested a new solution to the International Cricket Council (ICC) by asking to swap groups with Ireland. However, Cricket Ireland has made it clear that the ICC will not shift their upcoming World Cup matches from Sri Lanka.
"We've received definitive assurances that we won't move from the original schedule. We're definitely playing the Group Stage in Sri Lanka," an official from CI told Cricbuzz.
Ireland's T20 World Cup 2026 Group
Ireland are in Group B of the T20 World Cup 2026 along with co-host Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Oman. All matches in this group will be played in Sri Lanka at two venues, Kandy and Colombo.
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Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026 Group
Bangladesh, who are in Group C with West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy, are not willing to travel to India for the tournament. They have raised security concerns, as their group matches are scheduled to take place in Kolkata and Mumbai.
ICC and BCB meeting over Venue drama
On Saturday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) discussed the issue with the International Cricket Council (ICC) during a meeting in Dhaka. As a possible solution, the BCB suggested swapping groups with Ireland. The ICC was represented in person by Andrew Ephgrave from the Integrity Unit, while Gaurav Saxena joined the meeting online due to visa issues. Several BCB officials, including president Md Aminul Islam, senior board members and the CEO, were also part of the discussion.
“Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB said in a statement. However, a Cricbuzz report indicated that the request did not find favour with the ICC.
The T20 World Cup is scheduled to start from February 7, and the title decider will take place on March 8. Co-hosts India will enter the tournament as defending champions.