According to former Indian cricketer Harbhajan Singh, the Bangladesh Cricket Board alone has the authority to decide whether or not to send players to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Notably, in response to the BCCI’s request that Mustafizur Rahman be barred from the Indian Premier League due to persistent intercommunal violence, the BCB has decided not to send its players to India for the international competition.
According to Harbhajan, the International Cricket Council (ICC) can make the necessary arrangements since the matches can be simply moved to co-hosts Sri Lanka, and the decision to skip India is entirely up to the Bangladeshi authorities. The former Indian cricket player has also expressed regret at the state of communal violence in Bangladesh.
Bangladesh does not wish to travel to India because of the numerous incidents that have occurred in recent days. Everything that occurred in Bangladesh is incorrect. A decision about their request must be made by ICC.
Harbhajan was cited by Tribune India as saying, “We welcome everyone to India, but whether they (Bangladesh) want to come here or not is their choice.”
The Bangla Tigers, who were assigned to Group C of the league stage, were scheduled to play three games in India, all at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens. They have, however, formally asked the organisers to set up a temporary location. However, the ICC’s decision might not be influenced in any way by the BCCI.
Following a public announcement by BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia clarifying that the Kolkata Knight Riders will not be permitted to field Mustafizur in the forthcoming IPL 2026, the team complied with the directive. BCB has chosen not to participate in the World Cup in its neighbouring country because it did not entirely approve of the decision to exclude a Bangladeshi player for political reasons.
Saikia had earlier said, “The BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad due to the recent developments which are going on all across. BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement.”
Bangladesh will play their opening encounter against the West Indies on February 7 at the T20 World Cup 2026, which is just over a month away. They were scheduled to play England and Italy in Kolkata after the Caribbean match. It will be intriguing to see any last-minute adjustments made to the twenty-team event’s initial schedule, though.
Home