New Delhi: The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Thursday sent another letter to the International Cricket Council (ICC), communicating their refusal to play the T20 World Cup 2026 in India. The BCB formally sent a communication explaining the reasons in detail why they do not wish to travel to India for the forthcoming marquee event.

The BCB has communicated its demand of changing the venue to Sri Lanka citing security concerns for the players and support staff amid the recent political tensions between both the nations. The World Cup gets underway on February 7 and Bangladesh are scheduled to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai).

Bangladesh cricket has refused to travel to India after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on instructions of the BCCI, which cited unspecified ‘developments all around’ to justify the decision.

BCCI source confirms development

‘Following discussions with sports ministry advisor Asif Nazrul, the BCB has once again sent a communication to the ICC. The ICC wanted to know areas of concern with regards to security and BCB has cited them,’ a source close to the cricket board told news agency PTI. However, the specifics of the letter are not ye known.

The BCB and the ICC has been involved in a sustained back-and-forth over Bangladesh’s participation in the global event next month. The ICC, on the other hand, has maintained silence so far in the matter seeking clarity over the exact nature of the security apprehensions being flagged by the cricket board.

BCB divided on issue

It is understood that the BCB is itself divided on the issue with one section of the board favouring Nazrul’s hardline stance on the matter and another group in favour of keeping channels of discussion open with the global governing body and the Indian authorities.