Bangladesh’s government sports adviser, Asif Nazrul, says an ICC security assessment makes it “very hard” for the Tigers to honour their scheduled 2026 T20 World Cup fixtures in India.
Speaking in Dhaka on Monday, Nazrul outlined what he describes as three red-flag scenarios passed on by the ICC’s security unit. “We have sent two letters (to the ICC), after which the ICC security team have sent a letter,” he explained. “They have said that if three things happen, the security threat of the Bangladesh team (in India) will increase. One, if Mustafiz [Mustafizur Rahman] is included in the Bangladesh team. Two, if the supporters of the Bangladesh team roam around in the national jersey of Bangladesh, which is our national jersey. Three, the security threat of the Bangladesh team will increase as the (Bangladesh) elections approach.”
Nazrul went further, calling the situation untenable: “So this statement of the ICC security team has proven beyond a doubt that there is no situation for the Bangladesh cricket team to play the T20 World Cup in India. If the ICC expects us to make a cricket team without our best bowler, our supporters will not be able to wear the Bangladesh jersey, and we will postpone the Bangladesh elections to play cricket, then there can be no more bizarre, unrealistic and unreasonable expectation than this.”
The ICC has been contacted for comment; its reply, if any, was still pending at the time of writing. Independent verification of the security memo is likewise outstanding.
Fixture list and flash-points
For now, Bangladesh are pencilled in to play three group matches in Kolkata before moving to Mumbai. The venues became contentious last month when the BCCI instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from their 2026 IPL roster. No official reason was supplied, yet the move deepened already frosty diplomatic relations.
Dhaka’s immediate response was two-fold: a nationwide television ban on IPL coverage and a Bangladesh Cricket Board letter to the ICC refusing to play any World Cup games on Indian soil. Administrators in Colombo—Sri Lanka are co-hosts—are watching closely; a last-minute reshuffle of pools could affect several sides.
What next?
• The ICC security team is expected to visit both countries again in the coming weeks.
• Bangladesh officials maintain the squad will include Mustafizur unless ruled out by injury.
• The tournament, set to begin on 7 February, leaves a narrowing window for compromise.
It is, in truth, an awkward stand-off: cricket boards leaning on governments, and vice-versa, with a global tournament in the balance. Fans on either side of the border, who mostly just want to watch Virat Kohli square up against Shakib Al Hasan, can only wait.
