Bangladesh Cricket Board Announces Decision Not to Send Team to India for T20 World Cup

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The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has officially announced that it will not send its national team to India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, citing recent developments related to the tournament. The decision was taken during an emergency meeting of the BCB Board of Directors held on Tuesday afternoon.

According to a statement issued by the BCB, the meeting reviewed the evolving situation over the past 24 hours concerning the T20 World Cup scheduled to be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka. After detailed deliberations, the board unanimously decided that the Bangladesh national team would not travel to India.

The BCB said the decision has been formally communicated to the International Cricket Council (ICC), and the board is now awaiting a response, expressing hope that the ICC will consider the situation and provide clarity at the earliest.

Bangladesh’s Adviser on Sports also confirmed the decision, stating that the national team would not tour India to participate in the World Cup. He welcomed the move, saying it was taken in light of what he described as aggressive and discriminatory policies by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Tensions between the two cricket boards reportedly escalated after Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) under pressure from Indian hardline groups, further straining relations between India and Bangladesh.

Sources said the BCB is likely to request that Bangladesh’s World Cup matches be shifted to Sri Lanka. Currently, Bangladesh’s fixtures are scheduled in India, with three matches planned in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. Bangladesh is set to play its opening match against West Indies on February 7 in Kolkata.

Meanwhile, the BCB has announced its squad for the ICC T20 World Cup, naming Litton Kumar Das as captain and Saif Hassan as vice-captain. Bangladesh has been placed in a group alongside England, West Indies, Nepal, and Italy. Notably, Pakistan has also announced it will not travel to India and will play its matches in Sri Lanka.