Desperate BCB writes another letter to ICC, urges dispute panel intervention to keep T20 WC hopes alive

New Delhi: Bangladesh are refusing to give up on their hopes of playing in the T20 World Cup 2026 despite Interntional Cricket Council’s clear directive of facing removal from the tournament if the country’s cricket board continues on its stance of not travelling to India.

While ICC is nearing a final decision on replacing Bangladesh with Scotland after the former’s adamant stance of not playing World Cup matches in India due to security concerns, the BCB has again written to the world cricket body, asking them to review their request for a group swap and a venue change and sought intervention from ICC’s independent Dispute Resolution Committee.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board, on the directives of the country’s interim government, stood firm on its decision to boycott World Cup matches in India, where they are scheduled to play four league games (three in Kolkata, one in Mumbai). The Bangladesh government and cricket board officials briefed the press about their decision following a meeting in Dhaka on Thursday.

The developement came despite the ICC board voting on Wednesday to reject their request for a venue change due to a security threat in India and giving BCB a 24-hour deadline to make up its mind.

With no official response in the deadline period, ICC looks ready to call up Scotland as a replacement. However, as per the latest developement, which is reported by the Times of India, the BCB has asked the independent Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) to intervene over their demand to move their WC matches from India to Sri Lanka.

Explained: What is ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC)?

The Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) operates like an arbitration under English law. DRC’s decisions are seen as final and binding. The ICC-BCB saga is set to take a sharp escalation, turning from requests to a rules and regulations-based tiff.

The ICC’s independent dispute-settlement path, DRC, is an arbitration panel that is called upon when boards challenge ICC decisions or interpretations of rules.

The DRC functions confidentially and independently under English law, with proceedings taking place in London. The Committee is obliged to deliver a final, binding ruling, and Bangladesh have now taken the fight to the ICC by formally contesting their decision-making process.