Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has now added fresh fuel to the growing T20 World Cup 2026 controversy and openly supported Bangladesh while indirectly taking a dig at India’s influence in world cricket.
Mustafizur Rahman’s IPL exit sparks political and cricket fallout
All this drama is linked to Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the IPL 2026 squad by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) on BCCI’s order due to the current situation of Hindus in the country. This move did not go down well in Bangladesh.
Soon after that, the Bangladesh government banned IPL broadcasts in the country. Later, the BCB officially requested the ICC to shift Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 group matches out of India, citing security concerns, or else they would pull out of the tournament.
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But the ICC refused to change the schedule, as they found no security threat to the Bangladesh cricket team and its fans in India after investigation and stayed firm on their decision. In a last effort to save their T20 World Cup 2026 spot, Bangladesh went to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee.
Scotland to replace Bangladesh in T20 World Cup 2026 as ICC stays firm
However, their request could not even be heard because of ICC rules. Meanwhile, Pakistan has voted in favour of Bangladesh in the recent ICC Board meeting. Even the PCB reportedly sent an email to the ICC supporting Bangladesh’s stand. Pakistani media has also claimed that the 2009 champions may pull out of the upcoming event if the issue is not resolved properly.
With less than two weeks left for the T20 World Cup 2026 to begin in India and Sri Lanka, the situation between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has become very serious. Now, Scotland was already sent an invite by the ICC to replace Bangladesh in the global event after the BCB failed to meet their policy.
Najam Sethi enters T20 World Cup 2026 storm, backs Bangladesh
Now, Najam Sethi publicly supported current PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi and said he trusts his understanding of both cricket and the bigger picture. Sethi also hinted that this whole situation shows how much power India holds in global cricket decisions.
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Najam Sethi told local media, as quoted by the Hindustan Times: “Bangladesh decided to boycott the World Cup; now it remains to be seen what the PCB decides. Mohsin Naqvi understands the game and has a good grasp of all aspects. Whatever decision he makes will be the right one.”
Sethi questions ICC neutrality, targets BCCI
He further suggested that if more countries come together and support Bangladesh, the ICC will be forced to listen. The former PCB boss also stressed that the ICC, headed by Jay Shah, should work for all countries, not just one powerful board targeting the BCCI.
His comments were referring to the global body getting a 14–2 vote to keep Bangladesh’s matches in India after an independent security review said the security risk was low to moderate.
Sethi signed off by saying, “If other countries stand up after Pakistan, the ICC will realize that this is not the Indian Cricket Council but the International Cricket Council.”
