The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refused to send their team to India for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, citing concerns over player safety. The tournament is scheduled to begin in February and will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The interim government of Bangladesh has made it clear that it does not want its team to play in India and has instead pushed for all of Bangladesh’s matches to be held in Sri Lanka.
Amid this ongoing controversy, former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary has made a strong statement. In an exclusive conversation with Sports Tak, Tiwary suggested that the International Cricket Council (ICC) should consider excluding Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup.
“If something wrong happens to our people, whether in Pakistan or any other country, we always stand up for them. What is the point of playing cricket with a country where our people are being brutally harmed? Why should we play cricket with them? The BCCI should take this up with the ICC. The current ICC chairman, Jay Shah, is linked with our politics, so a firm decision should be taken. Bangladesh should be excluded from the T20 World Cup 2026. A country where Indians are attacked in this manner should not be allowed to participate,” Tiwary said.
How the issue began
The tension between the two countries escalated following reports of violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. In response, the BCCI did not give clearance to Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who had been signed by Kolkata Knight Riders for Rs 9.20 crore for the IPL 2026 season. Due to the lack of approval, KKR released Rahman, a move that did not go down well with Bangladesh officials.
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Current developments in the T20 World Cup 2026
Following this development, the interim government of Bangladesh took a firm stand and stated that it would not send its cricket team to India for the World Cup. Instead, it demanded that all of its matches be shifted to Sri Lanka. The ICC is expected to take the final call on the matter.
Sports Tak has learned that an ICC delegation is likely to travel to Bangladesh within the next two or three days to hold talks with BCB officials regarding the T20 World Cup 2026. Notably, the ICC and BCB recently held a video conference, during which the ICC refused to move Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. However, Bangladesh has remained firm on its demand to play outside India.