Bangladesh says will not play T20 World Cup matches if in India

The action comes after India pushed fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman to withdraw from IPL due to political tensions

DHAKA:

Bangladesh has requested their matches at next month's T20 World Cup be played in Sri Lanka, after India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League.

Political relations between India and Bangladesh soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had "formally requested" the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift their games to Sri Lanka.

"The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions," a BCB statement read.

It said its decision was made due to "growing concerns regarding the safety and security" of its players, and based on its government's advice.

Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was on Saturday released by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the IPL team were "advised" by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so, following tensions between the neighbouring nations.

Earlier, Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, said that Dhaka "will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances."

"The days of slavery are over," he added, in a statement carried by the state-run BSS news agency on Sunday.

"Where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup," he wrote.

'Dignity and security'

The T20 World Cup begins on February 7, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India.

Pakistan will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, part of a deal that allows both India and Pakistan to play at neutral venues in multi-nation tournaments.

India's foreign ministry last month condemned what it called "unremitting hostility against minorities" in Muslim-majority Bangladesh.

Bangladesh's interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has accused India of exaggerating the scale of the violence.

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul earlier said that "the dignity and security of our cricketers are our top priorities".

Mustafizur, who has previously played in the IPL for other teams, was snapped up at auction in December by Kolkata for more than $1 million.

But BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that "considering recent developments" Kolkata had been "advised to release" the 30-year-old.

The 2026 IPL season begins on March 26.

Nazrul said he would also ask that the IPL be blocked by Bangladeshi broadcasters.

"I have requested the Information and Broadcasting Adviser to stop the broadcasting of the IPL tournament in Bangladesh," he said.

Kolkata, majority-owned by Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan, subsequently said that Mustafizur's "release has been carried out following due process and consultations".

The cricket row comes only days after tensions between the nations had appeared to have eased.India's Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar visited Bangladesh last week, the most senior visit by an Indian official since the overthrow of Hasina.

On Friday, the BCB announced that India would go to Bangladesh for six white-ball matches in September.

Bangladesh will hold its first elections since the uprising on February 12.