T20 World Cup 2026: Bangladesh Participation to Be Finalised by January 21

The standoff between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has now reached a final stage. After almost three weeks of discussions, the ICC has given Bangladesh a firm deadline of January 21 to confirm whether they will travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026. If Bangladesh refuses, the ICC is prepared to replace them with Scotland, the next best-ranked team.

A second meeting took place in Dhaka on Saturday, but both sides stuck to their positions. The BCB again told ICC officials that Bangladesh are willing to play the tournament, but only in Sri Lanka. They said this is due to security concerns and political issues at home. However, the ICC made it clear that the tournament schedule will not be changed and that there is no specific security threat in India.

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Bangladesh Founded: 1972

The Bangladesh National Cricket Team, also known as the Tigers or Bangla Tigers, is a full member of the International Cricket Council (ICC) since 1977.

With the tournament starting in just three weeks, the ICC is running out of patience, according to ESPNcricinfo. Bangladesh are scheduled to play West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, followed by two more matches at Eden Gardens and a final group game in Mumbai. The ICC believes it is too late to change venues or rearrange matches.

ICC rejects Bangladesh’s proposals,

One of Bangladesh’s final suggestions was to swap groups with Ireland so they could play all their matches in Sri Lanka. This has also been rejected. Cricket Ireland confirmed that the ICC assured them their fixtures would remain the same. The ICC said changing groups would create major problems with broadcasters, ticket sales, and other teams.

An independent security report shared with all 20 teams rated India’s threat level as medium to high, similar to past global tournaments. However, it found no direct risk to Bangladesh. Despite this, the BCB, backed by their government, has not changed its stance. If Bangladesh does not agree to travel to India within the next 72 hours, they are likely to be removed from the tournament.

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Pakistan will reconsider involvement in World Cup if Bangladesh's demands are not met: sources Sources claim that Pakistan might reconsider their participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup without a satisfactory resolution of Bangladesh’s issues.

by mishaalmubarak January 19, 2026