Bangladesh have officially announced that they will be boycotting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.
The BCB vs BCCI issue, which started with Mustafizur Rahman’s snub from the IPL due to the growing anti-Bangladesh roar in the country, went on to take a massive shape as Bangladesh threatened the ICC to withdraw from the competition if their demands were not met accordingly.
Their foremost demand was not to travel to India, where their group-stage matches were scheduled to be held, and they had cited security reasons for the developments. However, the ICC reviewed the security arrangements and ruled out any risk for the team. They then also disregarded BCB’s plea for a venue swap.
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Bangladesh government announces boycott of ICC T20 World Cup
The BCB had issued an ultimatum to the ICC that they would not budge an inch, and the ICC would have to comply with their demands. The ICC also refused to give up on the wrong demands from the BCB. The feud ultimately would have had to end with either one of the parties giving up or keeping their word.
The Bangladesh government, after the discussion with their players in the national setup and the BCB, has finally officially confirmed that their team would not travel to India for the ICC tournament and hence, they are boycotting the upcoming T20 World Cup.
“We cannot give up our players’ security,” says Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul.
“ICC had denied us our request to shift our matches away from India. We are not sure about the status of world cricket. Its popularity is going down. They have locked away 200million people. Cricket is going to the Olympics, but if a country like us is not going there, it is the ICC’s failure. We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play in the World Cup. But we won’t play in India,” the BCB President stated.
“We will keep fighting. There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision-makers in that issue.”
Bangladesh Govt has announced their team is boycotting the World Cup.
Big braking
— Vikrant Gupta (@vikrantgupta73) January 22, 2026
PCB’s stance awaited as Bangladesh announce boycott
The PCB has constantly been pressing on the claim that they would also boycott the ICC T20 World Cup if the ICC fails to meet the demands of the Bangladesh Board, and as a result, they have to withdraw from the competition.
The ICC refused to comply with any of the demands of the Bangladesh Cricket Board, which left the board as well as the Bangladesh government infuriated, and they announced the boycott of the tournament.
After the confirmation from their end, all eyes would now be on Pakistan, which had promised Bangladesh such an extensive amount of support. They cannot simply withdraw from their claim now, as the PCB has to issue some statement on the issue before announcing their final stand.
Will ICC finally approach the Scotland team for the ICC T20 World Cup wildcard entry?
Ever since, the Bangladesh issue has taken such a drastic turn that they might even be calling for the boycott of the tournament. The ICC had started considering replacement options for the Bangladesh team.
Scotland, who are the highest-ranked team among all unqualified teams, might take up this opportunity as a blessing in disguise. They can be brought in by the ICC to replace Bangladesh in the group, which also comprises England, Italy, the West Indies and Nepal.
However, the ICC has not yet approached the Scottish Cricket Board, nor has it issued any formal notice to them. It is also to be seen whether they reach out to them now, or wait for the negotiations, which, according to BCB sources, will continue with the ICC till the start of the tournament.
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