Bangladesh cricket is slowly sliding into a serious problem, and the impact could be bigger than it looks right now. Several Bangladeshi cricketers may soon be forced to change their bat sponsors after India’s well-known sports equipment company SG decided not to continue its association with them.
SG pulls back as Bangladesh Cricket feels the heat of diplomatic clash
The sports equipment company has reportedly taken this call after cricketing and diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh escalated.
All the drama began after the BCCI ordered the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to drop Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad.
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The BCCI made this controversial call following the political pressure in the wake of the ongoing violence against Hindus in Bangladesh. It is being said that more than 10 Hindus were killed in Bangladesh, while more than 5 incidents of communal violence were registered within five weeks.
India-Bangladesh rift deepens
After Rahman’s ouster, things escalated quickly. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to give Mustafizur a no-objection certificate to play in the IPL 2026 and then approached the ICC and asked for Bangladesh’s matches in the 2026 T20 World Cup to be moved out of India and shifted to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.
Even the Bangladesh government banned IPL indefinitely. As tensions grew between the two countries, the effects started reaching the business side of cricket.
The Indian company SG currently sponsors some of Bangladesh’s top players, including captain Litton Das, Yasir Rabbi, and Mominul Haque, but they have now decided not to renew these sponsorship deals.
Big blow for Bangladesh cricketers as SG decides against contract renewal
The players have not yet received any official message from the company, but their agents have already hinted that the partnership is likely to end very soon. A Bangladeshi player was quoted as saying by www.telecomasia.net, “It looks like that is likely to be the case in the coming days.”
This move could hurt Bangladesh cricket in a big way, as there are fears that other sports equipment companies could also choose not to sponsor Bangladeshi players.
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If that happens, many cricketers may struggle to secure sponsorship deals, and the overall sport could take a hit in Bangladesh.
A source who is involved in player sponsorships was quoted as saying by www.telecomasia.net, “I think other manufacturers also might opt not to sponsor our cricketers.”
ICC T20 World Cup 2026: BCB Moves ICC After Emergency Meet
On the other hand, the BCB held an emergency meeting on January 4 and formally approached the ICC with a request to move Bangladesh’s matches in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 to Sri Lanka. However, the ICC has not yet made any final decision on this request.
The matter is still under consideration. Notably, Bangladesh is placed in Group C of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. They are set to play three matches in Kolkata, facing West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9, and England on February 14. Their final group-stage match is scheduled against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on February 17.
