After the Board of Cricket Control in India made Kolkata Knight Riders release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the 2026 Indian Premier League, the Bangladesh Cricket Board decided to take a fewsteps. One such was deciding not to travel to India for the upcoming  2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. 

 

However, ICC is unlikely to say yes to BCB's demands. As per reports from ESPNCricinfo, the ICC is likely to persuade BCB to the previously formulated schedule. 

 

Notably, Bangladesh was supposed to be hosted in Kolkata and Mumbai. Recently, Dr. Asif Nazrul, the Youth and Sports Adviser to the interim government of Bangladesh, announced that BCB has requested  Sri Lanka Cricket to host them.

 

Nazrul stated that, as the adviser in charge of the Sports Ministry, he instructed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to formally request the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate all of Bangladesh's matches to a neutral venue, likely Sri Lanka.

 

Notably, BCCI decided to release Rahman due to the ongoing religious tensions in Bangladesh, with Hindu minorities getting lynched. anyway, Nazrul said that if a contracted Bangladeshi cricketercould not feel safe playing in India, the entire national team could not reasonably be expected to travel there for the T20 World Cup.

 

However, if ICC manages to convince them, they will not be touring Sri Lanka.

 

Read also: ECB Issues Warning to Brendon McCullum Over Major Post-Ashes Changes or Sacking

 

How much will BCCI lose if BD retreats?

 

Notably, Bangladesh will play against the West Indies, Italy, and England at Eden Gardens. Then they will travel to Mumbai for the match against Nepal.

 

However, if ICC fails to convince BCCI, the board won't deal with many losses. As the T2 World Cup is an ICC event, BCCI won't be getting much of the deals except the match-day surplus and local sponsorships.

 

If Bangladesh plays in Sri Lanka, it will be on the ICC to bear their expenses, and BCCI won't have to spend a single penny on logistics.

 

Bangladesh schedule in the 2026 ICC Men's World Cup:

 

Date	Opponent	Venue
February 7, 2026	West Indies	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
February 9, 2026	Italy	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
February 14, 2026	England	Eden Gardens, Kolkata
February 17, 2026	Nepal	Wankhede Stadium, Mumbai