Bangladesh government warns of possible T20 World Cup 2026 exit amid India venue dispute
Amid rising tensions with India and a standoff over match venues, the Bangladesh government has hinted at withdrawing from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.
Last Updated: 03.37 PM, Jan 08, 2026
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is looking to pull out of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka. After the Mustafizur Rahman row, the board wrote a written letter to ICC regarding the relocation of their matches. However, they didn't get an expected feedback from ICC and hence, BCB are planning on pulling out of the World Cup 2026.
Bangladesh government's adviser to the sports ministry, Asif Nazrul informed that ICC didn't understand what BCB wanted to convey. Now, the board has decided to speak to ICC again and then come to a proper conclusion.
“We are a cricket-crazy nation and we definitely want to play. But we do not want to play the World Cup at the cost of national humiliation, the security of our cricketers, spectators and journalists or at the (cost of) the country's dignity," Nazrul was quoted as saying by TOI.
"After reading the letter we received from the ICC today, it seems that they have not fully understood the serious security situation. It does not feel like only a security issue, it feels like an issue of national humiliation," he added.
What will happen if Bangladesh pull out of World Cup 2026?
There have been very less instances where a team has pulled out of the World Cup due to differences between two teams. This time, Bangladesh might opt out of the marquee event due to its differences with India. Despite getting ultimatum from ICC, if Bangladesh decide to not play the tournament, they will not get the World Cup revenue from the board, and might face various other challenges.
ICC has already informed that the team is required to play in India under the Members Playing Agreement (MPA) and in case they break the rule, they'll face loss of points and other penalities. Bangladesh were scheduled to play all of the games in India in the World Cup 2026.
Where to watch World Cup 2026 matches?
Cricket fans in India can watch the T20 World Cup 2026 matches from February 7 online on JioHotstar, via OTTplay Premium.