Bangladesh team refuses to travel India for Cricket World Cup

[God Of Thunder]

Yeah, you heard it right. Bangladesh is not going to participate in the upcoming T20 Cricket World Cup if the ICC fails to transfer its match to Sri Lanka. BCB stated that they are concerned about the players' security due to recent political developments in India. Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman was in the IPL auction, and he was sold to the Kolkata Knight Riders for 9.2 Crore INR. However, the Indian government requested that BCCI to instruct KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman due to political reasons.

As a reaction to this event, the Bangladeshi Sports Advisor asked BCB to send a letter to ICC and let them know that Bangladesh won't feel safe to send their entire team to India while one player isn't safe there. If the ICC moves the matches to Sri Lanka, Bangladesh will participate in the World Cup; otherwise, this will be the end of the World Cup for the Bangladesh team.

Do you think the political extremists are mixing politics and cricket, and is it bad?

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/2026-t20-world-cup-bangladesh-refuse-to-travel-to-india-for-t20-world-cup-1518033

[Porfirii]

So, from what I read, the decision is still to be made. I thought after reading the title that Bangladesh was definitely not going to participate in the World Cup, but there is still the possibility that the problem will be solved.

Do you think the political extremists are mixing politics and cricket, and is it bad?

It's not just about mixing politics and cricket, but many other aspects too. Polarisation, hand in hand with new ICTs, is a growing problem that affects many fields. Rage and violence are dangerous and there should be other ways to resolve disputes, for the good of all and, in this particular case, for fans of good cricket.

[God Of Thunder]

So, from what I read, the decision is still to be made. I thought after reading the title that Bangladesh was definitely not going to participate in the World Cup, but there is still the possibility that the problem will be solved.

Well, yeah, the appropriate title would be that Bangladesh is going to send a team to India, as the team has already decided it. I have seen the interview of one of the board directors, and they confirmed that they are not sending the team to India. The World Cup is supposed to start on 7th February, which is only one month away. It is kinda impossible to change the entire schedule. All the teams, media, and even fans most likely booked their hotels and flight tickets. I doubt ICC will shift the schedule for Bangladesh. But if it happens, then it is good for the cricket fans.

[Bitcoin Smith]

I saw the news about Mustafizur Rahman who is already released by KKR and BCCI requested the KKR management for political reasons, which now affects the combination of KKR but they can manage.

Now coming to the topic, if Bangladesh wants to skip this tournament, then the ICC might not be really concerned about that, because it is against BCCI the biggest contributor to IIC's revenue so whatever BCCI ask the ICC will just give a nod. I am also not in favour of mixing cricket with politics that already destroyed India and Pakistan matches. Now this is new one, hope it doesn't last long, as with Pakistan.

[UmerIdrees]

Now coming to the topic, if Bangladesh wants to skip this tournament, then the ICC might not be really concerned about that, because it is against BCCI the biggest contributor to IIC's revenue so whatever BCCI ask the ICC will just give a nod. I am also not in favour of mixing cricket with politics that already destroyed India and Pakistan matches. Now this is new one, hope it doesn't last long, as with Pakistan.

This is not getting good by any means. Firstly, India is not willing to come to Pakistan, then in return Pakistan is not going to India, and now Bangladesh is deciding not to go to India for the World Cup.

Political aside, these things should be stopped; otherwise, you will find these things getting frequently discussed in cricket boards. The team that isn't willing to travel to another country for whatever reason, the ICC should punish them, fine them heavily so no cricket board thinks of doing such acts.

[God Of Thunder]

Now coming to the topic, if Bangladesh wants to skip this tournament, then the ICC might not be really concerned about that, because it is against BCCI the biggest contributor to IIC's revenue so whatever BCCI ask the ICC will just give a nod. I am also not in favour of mixing cricket with politics that already destroyed India and Pakistan matches. Now this is new one, hope it doesn't last long, as with Pakistan.

It is up to ICC. However, BCB has already decided not to send the team to India. Not only that, but Bangladesh has also announced that none of the television channels will broadcast the IPL until further notice. As you may know, Bangladesh has a significant market, and India is interested in it. The political leaders are making it worse for the cricket fans. I am sure some Bangladeshi Fans would watch the match anyhow.

According to some media reports, the ICC has already begun working on rescheduling the matches. I think they will make a decision soon and let the fans know what is going to happen. While the BCCI is the most significant contributor to ICC revenue, the BCB is the fourth richest cricket board, generating the most money from sponsors and media.

[Nothingtodo]

India should not have imposed the movement that has taken place in India regarding the political situation in Bangladesh on cricket, especially cricket should always be kept out of politics, but that did not happen. Kolkata Knight Riders proved by releasing Mustafizur Rahman that Indian cricket is not free from politics, rather the air of political pollution is widely observed in Indian cricket. Bangladesh may not send a team to India due to Mustafizur being dropped from Kolkata Knight Riders. I saw a news today that Bangladesh will not go to India to play T20 and this has certainly been welcomed by the Bangladesh Sports Advisor.

[Emjay24]

Do you think the political extremists are mixing politics and cricket, and is it bad?

It is politically motivated as it is very obvious and I don't blame Bangladesh for their actions since one of their own was treated unfairly, there is no guarantee that the whole team is safe.

We have seen politics mix with sports and this is not the first time. Ex-Chelsea owner Roman Abramovich was forced to give up ownership of the club as part of political sanction on Russians by NATO.

I do not like mixing politics and sports, it surely kills the game.

[stompix]

Lol...
32 teams traveled to South Africa where all the homes have barbed wire and if you have bit of wealth, you need armed guards with live ammunition and now a team won't travel for a match because of "security' issues on things that haven't even happened...this is bs!
Just last year Taiwanese athletes went to the World Games in China and got 5 gold medals while Xi was threatening Taiwan with military exercises all along the sea, and they are afraid because someone said something.

This is not getting good by any means. Firstly, India is not willing to come to Pakistan, then in return Pakistan is not going to India, and now Bangladesh is deciding not to go to India for the World Cup.

Which leaves 2 nations that still play cricket to participate in, hilarious!

[un_rank]

Do you think the political extremists are mixing politics and cricket, and is it bad?

I do not know which of the parties you are referring to but looks like India already mixed politics in sports and now Bangladesh are responding in kind while also standing in solidarity with one of their own. I am not familiar with the background situations between both countries that may have led to the situation, I am only judging on the available information from this story.

It is never good when sports goes beyond the stadium, I would want to have this issue settled as quickly and amicably as possible.

- Jay -

[Bitcoin Smith]

~
According to some media reports, the ICC has already begun working on rescheduling the matches. I think they will make a decision soon and let the fans know what is going to happen. While the BCCI is the most significant contributor to ICC revenue, the BCB is the fourth richest cricket board, generating the most money from sponsors and media.

I haven't seen any news reports yet or alteast from the India news media but only on the social media so we need to wait for the official confirmation to see if it happens but it is likely to happens since Pak matches are already scheduled on SL so they won't have trouble fitting in Bangladesh too.

Which leaves 2 nations that still play cricket to participate in, hilarious!

Not really, it should be atleast 6. Aus, Eng, SA, NZ, WI, and IND. But just so that you know 20 nations are participating.

[AmoreJaz]

Do you think the political extremists are mixing politics and cricket, and is it bad?

I do not know which of the parties you are referring to but looks like India already mixed politics in sports and now Bangladesh are responding in kind while also standing in solidarity with one of their own. I am not familiar with the background situations between both countries that may have led to the situation, I am only judging on the available information from this story.

It is never good when sports goes beyond the stadium, I would want to have this issue settled as quickly and amicably as possible.

- Jay -

We are already in the digital age so this kind of conflict should not be a part of sports already. As sports should not be affected by politics. But their fear is real as they don't know what can really happen in this country once they are already in the jurisdiction of India. So we can't blame their hesitations to join the World Cup. The political tension between these 2 countries should not be in anyway affect their sports developments but the danger is real.

India should not have imposed the movement that has taken place in India regarding the political situation in Bangladesh on cricket, especially cricket should always be kept out of politics, but that did not happen. Kolkata Knight Riders proved by releasing Mustafizur Rahman that Indian cricket is not free from politics, rather the air of political pollution is widely observed in Indian cricket. Bangladesh may not send a team to India due to Mustafizur being dropped from Kolkata Knight Riders. I saw a news today that Bangladesh will not go to India to play T20 and this has certainly been welcomed by the Bangladesh Sports Advisor.

This is my opinion on this matter, that sports should not be in the middle of the political conflict. But seems that India is not yet ready to disregard political turmoil. Hence, Bangladeshi players are not really safe and no one can guarantee their security. So it is understandable if they will withdraw from this World Cup.

[Mahiyammahi]

~

I haven't seen any news reports yet or alteast from the India news media but only on the social media so we need to wait for the official confirmation to see if it happens but it is likely to happens since Pak matches are already scheduled on SL so they won't have trouble fitting in Bangladesh too.

Actually there is no official statement right now that confirming match schedule as been changed. It's most likely news media like Cricbuzz and other sports related news media is spreading a positive wire that ICC could rearrange all the matches for Bangladesh. I hope so that it won't be any trouble to change the match schedule.

And it's also valid for Bangladesh to have this types of concern for not going to play in India.

[Die_empty]

Do you think the political extremists are mixing politics and cricket, and is it bad?

https://www.espncricinfo.com/story/2026-t20-world-cup-bangladesh-refuse-to-travel-to-india-for-t20-world-cup-1518033

Going to the competition is not worth the death or injury of any player. Player safety is more important than even winning the trophy. If India cannot guarantee the safety of a player, it might be a better option to drop the player. But if the safety of other players, coaches, and journalists cannot be guaranteed, the Bangladeshi team should keep fighting for a change of venue or boycott the competition.

Politics has always been mixed with sports. Don't forget that it is politicians who sponsor and make decisions on sporting activities. The political problems between nations will always have a ripple effect on sports. Sports was founded to promote friendl,y but politics still influences it.

[God Of Thunder]

Going to the competition is not worth the death or injury of any player. Player safety is more important than even winning the trophy. If India cannot guarantee the safety of a player, it might be a better option to drop the player. But if the safety of other players, coaches, and journalists cannot be guaranteed, the Bangladeshi team should keep fighting for a change of venue or boycott the competition.

Politics has always been mixed with sports. Don't forget that it is politicians who sponsor and make decisions on sporting activities. The political problems between nations will always have a ripple effect on sports. Sports was founded to promote friendl,y but politics still influences it.

Politics has significantly influenced Indian cricket for a long time. As the wealthiest cricket board in the world and the most significant contributor to the ICC, they can dictate terms as they see fit. The Hindu Extremists are making everything an issue. Things started changing when a guy named Dipu was killed in Bangladesh. India began to say that Bangladesh started killing Hindu Minorities. The reality is that the guy was working in a garment factory, and the owner created the entire drama and killed that guy because he was speaking for the labourers. He was speaking on behalf of the labourers so they could accurately receive a salary increase and promotion.

Some extremist Hindus in India started to protest because of this, and the Indian government instructed BCCI to remove the Bangladeshi Player from IPL. If India cannot provide security for one player, how would they provide security for the entire team and the cricket fans?

[bitbollo]

I am not a cricket fan (just a couple of winning bets in my whole life ) but these are sad news for everyone.

I am really sorry for the issue and for the players... this is their job, this is also a bad economic decision for them.
Always politics should not be too much present with sports.  It is also true that there is no sense to get any kind of risk... security come always first like with crypto

[UmerIdrees]

Which leaves 2 nations that still play cricket to participate in, hilarious!

Not really, it should be atleast 6. Aus, Eng, SA, NZ, WI, and IND. But just so that you know 20 nations are participating.

Out of those 20 nations that are participating in the Cricket World Cup more than half of them aren't even worth watching them play. We see this everytime that whenever there is a World Cup, ICC allows these nations to participate and maybe they never play other than the World Cups 

It's not that these countries just give match practice to the real 6-7 strong participating countries or maybe they make the WC boring in the initial part of the tornament, but also that one of those weaker teams will usually put up a good show and eliminate the stronger, more popular team out the WC in the group stages.

[HelliumZ]

Since political issues have arisen here, the Bangladesh team will not play in India until the political issues are resolved. However, so far there has been no information that Bangladesh will not play the World Cup. Bangladesh will play the World Cup but the Bangladesh team will not play in all the matches that will be held in Indian venues. Since there have been allegations of minority oppression in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh team will not be safe in India. Therefore, it would be a good decision not to go to India, even if it is to provide maximum security to the Bangladesh team.

However, the final decision has not been announced by the ICC and Bangladesh Cricket Board yet. However, we would like all these problems to be resolved quickly.

[Sithara007]

Since political issues have arisen here, the Bangladesh team will not play in India until the political issues are resolved. However, so far there has been no information that Bangladesh will not play the World Cup. Bangladesh will play the World Cup but the Bangladesh team will not play in all the matches that will be held in Indian venues. Since there have been allegations of minority oppression in Bangladesh, the Bangladesh team will not be safe in India. Therefore, it would be a good decision not to go to India, even if it is to provide maximum security to the Bangladesh team.

However, the final decision has not been announced by the ICC and Bangladesh Cricket Board yet. However, we would like all these problems to be resolved quickly.

The BCB need to be careful here. If they refuse to travel to India, then the ICC has multiple options available at their end. The worst case scenario for Bangladesh would be their replacement with a team that ranked 21st in the qualifier tournament. For the ICC T20 World Cup, there were regional qualifiers (unlike the case with ODI World Cup). So the next best team from the ACC qualifiers would make the cut. Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are the there teams that qualified through Asia–EAP Regional Finals. Qatar was the 4th placed team. The nuclear option for the ICC is to replace Bangladesh with Qatar.

[God Of Thunder]

The BCB need to be careful here. If they refuse to travel to India, then the ICC has multiple options available at their end. The worst case scenario for Bangladesh would be their replacement with a team that ranked 21st in the qualifier tournament. For the ICC T20 World Cup, there were regional qualifiers (unlike the case with ODI World Cup). So the next best team from the ACC qualifiers would make the cut. Nepal, Oman and the United Arab Emirates are the there teams that qualified through Asia–EAP Regional Finals. Qatar was the 4th placed team. The nuclear option for the ICC is to replace Bangladesh with Qatar.

BCB knows what they are doing. When the attack is on the nation and its reputation, participating in a World Cup is nothing. BCB already announced that they would not travel to India, and this is the final decision. BCB has already stated that, even with Z-grade security, BCB won't send the team to India. If India thinks it is superior and insults others, a country like Bangladesh can also refuse to visit India and stick to its decision. Participating in this World Cup no longer matters to the people of Bangladesh. They care about the reputation. If India can release a player from the IPL for political reasons, Bangladesh can boycott the IPL and even the World Cup. BTW, it is already decided that ICC won't change the venues.