A moment meant to be routine at the ICC U19 World Cup 2026 drew attention for all the wrong reasons. During the Group A match between India and Bangladesh on January 17, 2026, India captain Ayush Mhatre and Bangladesh vice-captain Zawad Abrar did not exchange a handshake at the coin toss. Abrar was standing in for Bangladesh skipper Md Azizul Hakim Tamim, who was absent due to illness.
The skipped handshake broke with cricket tradition and immediately sparked debate online. Handshakes at the toss are typically a sign of goodwill before a contest. But in this case, neither Mhatre nor Abrar reached out to each other, and the images quickly circulated on social media, highlighting a rare breach of etiquette in junior international cricket.
The incident did not occur in isolation. Relations between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have recently been under strain. The tension stems from off-field issues, including developments around the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 and Bangladesh’s qualifying status for the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup later this year.
Earlier this month, the Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad after a BCCI directive. The decision followed growing calls in India to remove the pacer amid reports of attacks on minority communities in Bangladesh. This led to sharp criticism within Bangladesh’s cricketing circles.
In response, the BCB wrote to the International Cricket Council (ICC) urging it to consider shifting Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh government has suspended the broadcast of the IPL within the country.
With less than three weeks to go before the T20 World Cup begins, the uncertainty around Bangladesh’s participation remains. The team is scheduled to play its group stage fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai should they compete.
Skips or snubs in cricket aren’t new. Similar moments in recent years, like the Asia Cup 2025 handshake controversies, show how political tensions sometimes creep into sport (though fact checks later clarified some reports were false).
Still, when captains don’t shake hands, fans and pundits react. Many argue that gestures like handshakes offer a simple reminder that, regardless of rivalry or geopolitics, cricket remains a sport played in mutual respect.
