New Delhi: The International Cricket Council (ICC) requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to reconsider its stance of not sending the Bangladesh men’s cricket team to play in India in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2025. However, BCB reiterated its stance about not travelling to India, citing security concerns for the players and the other members of the support staff.

The development took place during an online meeting between the ICC and BCB representatives on Tuesday, January 13. The meeting took place between the ICC and BCB to discuss the issues regarding Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026, which is set to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 07 to March 08.

In a media release, BCB confirmed that the meeting was attended by board president Aminul Islam, Vice Presidents Md Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, Director and Chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen, and Chief Executive Officer Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

BCB announced that during the meeting, ICC requested them to reconsider their stance on not travelling to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup. However, the Bangladesh Cricket Board maintained its position and once again requested the ICC to relocate their matches away from India in the tournament.

The ICC officials pointed out that the schedule of the tournament has already been prepared and the itinerary has been finalised, urging BCB to reconsider its request. However, BCB insisted the safety of Bangladesh players and the support staff remains their top priority as they refused to change their stance.

“During the discussions, the BCB reaffirmed its position regarding the decision not to travel to India, citing security concerns. The Board also reiterated its request for the ICC to consider relocating Bangladesh’s matches outside India,” BCB said in a statement.

“While the ICC highlighted that the tournament itinerary has already been announced and requested the BCB to reconsider its stance, the Board’s position remains unchanged. Both parties agreed that discussions will continue to explore possible solutions. The BCB remains committed to safeguarding the well-being of its players, officials and staff while engaging constructively with the ICC to address the matter,” it added.

ICC’s risk assessment finds no security threat for Bangladesh team in India

The meeting between ICC and the BCB officials took place a day after it emerged that the ICC’s independent risk assessment found no specific or direct security threat for the Bangladesh cricket team in India. It was deemed that Bangladesh playing in India had a low to moderate security risk, which is a standard for major sporting events across the globe.

Reports claimed that ICC was unlikely to accept BCB’s request to relocate their matches from India to Sri Lanka after the independent security assessment. However, the governing body told BCB officials during Tuesday’s meetings that they will continue to explore possible solutions to resolve the board’s concerns.

The BCB refused to send its team to India for the T20 World Cup 2026 after the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad amid the ongoing political tensions between the two countries over violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh.