NEW DELHI: The International Cricket Council on Wednesday rejected Bangladesh’s demand to shift their matches at next month’s Twenty20 World Cup outside India, casting doubt on their participation in next month’s tournament.

The T20 World Cup begins in a little over two weeks on February 7, with Bangladesh’s four group matches scheduled to be played in Kolkata and Mumbai, and uncertainty loomed over the global showpiece after they refused to tour India and demanded to play their matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has repeatedly refused to play its games in India, and the Dhaka government said on Tuesday that they would not be pressured into changing their stance.

The stalemate prompted an emergency ICC board meeting in which the governing body decided against tinkering with the tournament schedule and dismissed any security threat to the team following political tensions between the South Asian neighbours.

“The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India,” the ICC said in a statement.

“The ICC board noted that it was not feasible to make changes so close to the tournament and that altering the schedule under the circumstances, in the absence of any credible security threat, could set a precedent that would jeopardise the sanctity of future ICC events...”

It leaves Bangladesh with the options of either changing their stance or getting replaced in the 20-team tournament. There was no immediate confirmation of whether Bangladesh would buckle to the ICC’s decision. The board meeting was held via video link with BCB president Aminul Islam among those participating.

The row between the neighbouring nations erupted on January 3, when the Indian cricket board (BCCI) ordered the Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman.

Bangladesh responded by refusing to tour India and banning broadcasts of the IPL in the country. An ICC delegation arrived in Dhaka last weekend to find a solution but the Bangladesh Cricket Board stuck to its guns.

“Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league,” the ICC said alluding to Mustafizur’s IPL snub. “This linkage has no bearing on the tournaments security framework or the conditions governing participation in the T20 World Cup.”

Youth and Sports Adviser in Dhaka’s interim government Asif Nazrul told the state-run BSS news agency late on Tuesday that Bangladesh “cannot be forced to play in India.”

Bangladesh captain Litton Das, speaking to reporters after a domestic match on Tuesday, said he had no idea if the team would take part.

“From where I stand, I’m uncertain, everyone is uncertain,” Das said, asking back: “Are you sure we will play the World Cup?

“I think at this moment, the whole of Bangladesh is uncertain,” he added in comments reported by Dhaka’s Prothom Alo newspaper.

During the World Cup, Bangladesh will hold its first elections since a mass uprising in 2024 toppled then-prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi. Political relations between India and Bangladesh have soured since.

Pakistan will play their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka in keeping with their policy of not touring India over geopolitical tension between the neighbours.

Published in Dawn, January 22nd, 2026