Last Updated on January 9, 2026 8:44 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
Bangladesh will not travel to India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup, Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul reiterated on Wednesday, demanding that the team’s matches be shifted to co-host Sri Lanka.
“We certainly want to play in the World Cup,” Nazrul said after meeting Bangladesh Cricket Board directors. “But we do not want to take part at the cost of the honour of the country, or at the cost of the security of the team, players, and the journalists of Bangladesh.”
The stance follows rising tensions after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released by Kolkata Knight Riders following a directive from the BCCI. Nazrul described the move as proof that “there is no situation to play in India for Bangladesh”.
He said Bangladesh had received a letter from the ICC but felt the security and national honour issues were not fully understood. “It’s not just a security issue; it is an issue of national honour as well,” he said.
Nazrul added that Bangladesh would continue pressing the ICC to relocate its matches. “We will not compromise with our national honour or the security of our cricketers,” he said.