T20 World Cup Row: Bangladesh Must Decide by January 21, ICC Issues Deadline

Dhaka: The controversy over Bangladesh’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup in India continues to simmer as the ICC has now set a firm deadline for resolution. Bangladesh has repeatedly insisted that its team will not travel to India due to security concerns and will only participate if its matches are shifted to Sri Lanka.

ICC Chairman Jay Shah has made multiple efforts to resolve the issue. The governing body has now given Bangladesh until January 21 to confirm whether it will take part in the T20 World Cup and whether it will play its matches in India.

Here are the five key points in the ongoing controversy:

1. ICC Rejects Security Concerns
According to ESPNcricinfo, an ICC team visited Bangladesh on Saturday, meeting with officials from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the government. This was the second in-person meeting within a week, following earlier discussions via video conference. During the meeting, Bangladesh once again raised concerns about the safety of its players in India, reiterating its demand to shift matches to Sri Lanka. The ICC, however, dismissed these concerns, stating that security arrangements are adequate and consistent with standard protocols for all participating nations.

2. Original Schedule Will Not Change
ICC officials informed Bangladesh that the original schedule, including its placement in Group C, will remain unchanged. Bangladesh had proposed switching to Group B, replacing Ireland, so its matches could be played in Sri Lanka. ICC rejected this proposal, and Ireland had also opposed the idea. The ICC emphasized that there is no time left to reschedule or shift matches.

3. Bangladesh Must Decide by January 21
Sources linked to the meeting confirmed that ICC has given Bangladesh a deadline of January 21 to declare its participation in the tournament and confirm whether it will play its matches in India. If Bangladesh fails to respond by this date, the ICC will make the decision on its behalf.

4. Replacement Country if Bangladesh Withdraws
ICC has clearly informed the BCB that a decision is mandatory. Should Bangladesh refuse to play in India, the ICC may exclude them from the tournament and appoint a replacement team. Based on current rankings, Scotland could be the likely replacement.

5. Controversy Has Been Ongoing for Three Weeks
The dispute began three weeks ago when BCB, on January 4, requested ICC to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka. The move came after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was released from KKR’s IPL 2026 squad due to protests over his participation in India. BCB cited an ICC-conducted security review indicating potential threats during matches in India. The ICC, however, clarified that a general security advisory for all 20 participating nations had already been issued, highlighting medium to high-level risks in India, a standard precaution for global events, with no specific country singled out.

With the January 21 deadline approaching, cricket fans and stakeholders await Bangladesh’s final decision, which could impact the tournament’s schedule and global participation.