The Bangladesh Cricket Board has formally decided that its national team will not travel to India to participate in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, citing unresolved security and governance concerns. The decision was taken during an internal board meeting held on January 22, just weeks ahead of the tournament’s scheduled start.

The move came a day after the International Cricket Council held talks with BCB directors and issued a clear ultimatum. During that meeting, the ICC informed Bangladesh that Scotland would replace them in the tournament if they chose to withdraw, with February 7 set as the final cutoff date for confirmations.

Announcing the decision, BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul stressed that Bangladesh remains committed to playing the World Cup, but not on Indian soil. He rejected suggestions that the issue stemmed from a single incident and criticised the ICC for failing to offer a workable solution.

Bulbul pointed specifically to the recent controversy involving pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who was dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad ahead of the 2026 IPL season. He said the episode reflected deeper structural problems rather than an isolated case, contradicting the ICC’s position.

“We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we won’t play in India. We will keep fighting,” Bulbul said.

“There were some shocking calls in the ICC board meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not a single incident. India were the sole decision-makers in that matter.”

The BCB president added that Bangladesh had formally requested its matches be moved to a neutral venue, but the ICC declined.

“ICC denied our request to shift our matches away from India. We are not sure about the state of world cricket anymore. Its popularity is going down,” he said.

“They have locked out 200 million people. Cricket is going to the Olympics, but if a country like ours cannot participate freely, that is the ICC’s failure.”

The standoff now places the ICC under pressure, with Scotland standing by as a potential replacement. Bangladesh, meanwhile, has made it clear that its withdrawal is conditional, not final, and that it remains open to participation if matches are relocated outside India.

With just days remaining before the deadline, the dispute has triggered wider debate about governance, neutrality, and power dynamics in global cricket.