Bangladesh to skip T20 World Cup after impasse with BCCI, ICC: A timeline of events

By Samira Vishwas On Jan 23, 2026

As negotiations fell through, the Bangladesh government made it clear that its men’s cricket team won’t travel to India for the T20 World Cup due to security concerns. While the government hopes that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will provide justice and move its matches to Sri Lanka, the chances are bleak.

““We all wanted to play in the World Cup, because our cricketers have achieved it with their hard work. But there has been no change in the security issues in India, and the concern remains. No matter what ICC says in terms of security, we have to understand that ICC is not a country. “(We cannot play) in a country where the BCCI, which is also an extended part of the Indian government, decided to bow down under pressure from extremists and remove one of our star players (Mustafizur Rahman)””Asif Nazrul Bangladesh’s sports adviser

Sports stars looks at the timeline of the events that led to the current situation.

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December 16, 2025: Kolkata Knight Riders ropes in fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman for a whopping Rs 9.20 crore. He becomes the most expensive Bangladeshi player in the history of the IPL.

December 18 onwards: Several politicians and leaders slam actor Shah Rukh Khan for KKR’s decision to rope in a Bangladeshi player amid rising atrocities against Hindus and other minorities in the neighbouring country.

January 3, 2026: Amid intense political pressure and public protests in India, the BCCI instructs KKR to release the Bangladesh pacer from his IPL contract, citing ‘recent developments’.

January 4: The Bangladesh Cricket Board, in consultation with the government, decides against travelling to India for the T20 World Cup. The BCB formally requests the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move all Bangladesh’s matches outside India.

January 5: The Bangladesh government bans the broadcast of IPL 2026 in the country as a response to the BCCI’s decision to pull Mustafizur Rahman out of the tournament. This is the first time the Bangladesh government has banned the telecast of an international cricket tournament.

January 7 onwards: The Bangladesh sports adviser Asif Nazrul, time and again, makes it clear that the team won’t travel to India. The BCB insists that the fixtures be shifted to Sri Lanka.

January 9: Former Bangladesh skipper Tamim Iqbal urges the BCB to avoid being driven by ‘public emotion’ while deciding the national team’s participation in the T20 World Cup in India as any such call would have an “impact 10 years down the line”.

January 9: The BCB board director, M. Nazmul Islam, lashes out at Tamim’s comments, labellng him as a “proven Indian agent”.

January 12-15: Bangladesh’s professional cricketers halt Bangladesh Premier League fixture unless BCB finance committee chairman Nazmul steps down, with the Cricketers Welfare Association of Bangladesh (CWAB) setting a deadline. The cricketers return to action after Nazmul resigns.

January 17: ICC sends a delegation to Dhaka for an in-person meeting with the BCB officials to sort out the venue issue.

January 21: ICC Board meets online, and suggests that Bangladesh’s fixtures won’t be moved to Sri Lanka. The ICC gives BCB one more day to confer with the Bangladesh government and decide whether their team will travel to India to play the 2026 T20 World Cup.

It makes it clear that if Bangladesh sticks to its refusal to play in India out of security concerns, it will be replaced by Scotland, based on team rankings, in the tournament.

January 22: Bangladesh reiterates that it will not travel to India for the T20 World Cup, despite an ultimatum from the ICC. The decision is announced by the country’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul, after his meeting with the Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam Bulbul, CEO Nizamuddin, and several national team players.