I wish we could play…, Bangladesh now regrets the T20 World Cup controversy, statement from the new sports minister

As soon as the new government is formed in Bangladesh, positive movement has started in cricket diplomacy. Immediately after taking oath, the new Sports Minister Aminul Haq took the initiative to end the ongoing tension with India. He stressed on quickly resolving the issue of Bangladesh’s absence in the T20 World Cup through talks and said that maintaining friendly relations with neighboring countries is his biggest priority. This step is being considered a big sign towards bringing cricket relations between the two countries back on track.

Minister Aminul Haq met the Deputy High Commissioner of India at Parliament House and discussed in a cordial atmosphere. Citing diplomatic complications as the reason, he said that if these issues had been resolved earlier, the Bangladesh team could have played in the tournament.

Sports Minister’s meeting and statement

After the cabinet oath, Aminul Haq said that he met the Deputy High Commissioner of India at the Parliament House. He said, "I discussed the T20 World Cup with him. The conversation was cordial. I said that we want to resolve this issue quickly through discussion because we want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighboring countries.

Desire for true and friendly relations with India

Bangladesh’s new Sports Minister Aminul Haq said, "From sports to all other fields, we want to build honest and cordial relations with India. Due to diplomatic complications we could not play in the World Cup. If these issues were resolved through talks first, our team could have participated."

Root of T20 World Cup controversy

Scotland was included in place of Bangladesh in the current Men’s T20 World Cup. This tournament is taking place in India and Sri Lanka. The previous government had refused the team to play matches in India and had asked to play only in Sri Lanka. The reasons behind this were said to be security and geopolitical tension, in which the influence of Pakistan was also discussed. The controversy started when the Indian government asked Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Bangladeshi bowler Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026. After this the matter escalated and ICC expelled Bangladesh from the tournament.

Relief and further expectations

The good news for Bangladesh was that on February 9, ICC said that there will be no punishment for not playing matches in India. Also, Bangladesh Cricket Board got the right to host a special ICC event before the 2031 Men’s ODI World Cup. India and Bangladesh will host the 2031 World Cup together. In September this year, the Indian team can go on a tour of Bangladesh, where three ODIs and three T20 matches will be played. This series was postponed from August 2025, but the announcement was made before the controversy. With the new government there is new hope for cooperation on the cricket field.