The venues of Bangladesh’s matches will not change in T20 World Cup 2026! ICC gave a blunt reply to BCB

T20 World Cup 2026: There was a controversy going on regarding Bangladesh team playing its league matches in India in the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had demanded to shift the matches out of India in the name of security concerns. But the International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected this demand. ICC sources have clearly said that no major threat has been found in the security assessment report.

What did the security report say?

ICC got an independent risk assessment done by international level security experts. The report describes the security risk for the entire tournament in India as ‘low to moderate’. This level is similar to many big global sporting events. No specific or direct threat was found to the Bangladesh team, their officials or the match venues.

The risk for Bangladesh matches in Kolkata and Mumbai is also ‘low to moderate’. ICC says that this can be easily handled with the existing security arrangements.

Controversy started regarding Mustafizur

Bangladesh’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul had claimed that in the ICC report, the presence of Mustafizur Rahman in the team, Bangladesh fans wearing jerseys and the upcoming elections could increase the danger. He said that it is impossible to play in India.

This controversy started when IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders removed Mustafizur Rahman from the team on the instructions of BCCI. After this, the Bangladesh government also banned IPL telecast. BCB demanded to hold the match outside India in Sri Lanka in the interest of team security.

Why did ICC refuse?

ICC sources said that there is no assessment which would advise Bangladesh not to play matches in India. There is full confidence in the security arrangements of BCCI and local authorities. ICC clarified that they do not give any advice to any team on selection of players or dressing of fans.

BCB later clarified that their request was not formal, but part of internal discussions. But ICC has decided not to make any changes in the current schedule.

Where will Bangladesh’s matches take place?

Bangladesh has to play four league matches in India, which will be against West Indies in Kolkata, against Italy and England and against Nepal in Mumbai. The tournament will start from 7th February. ICC said that security planning is going on continuously and advice is also being taken from BCB. Now Bangladesh will have to play in India only, otherwise there is a danger of losing points.