ICC warns Bangladesh that points will be deducted if they don’t play in India

Sports Desk
The Bangladesh team must tour India to participate in the upcoming Men’s T20 World Cup, or else they may lose points – this is the message that the world cricket governing body, the ICC, has reportedly given to the BCB. However, the BCB has denied receiving any such ultimatum.

ESPNcricinfo reported this sensational information based on a virtual discussion held between the ICC and the BCB on Tuesday.

BCB had requested that Bangladesh’s matches be held at a neutral venue outside India, citing security concerns. However, the ICC has rejected the request outright. The organization has made it clear that Chandika Hathurusingha’s disciples will have to play in India as per the schedule. If they fail to play, the match will be declared abandoned and the points will be given to the opponent.
However, the BCB claims that they have not received any such ultimatum or ‘ultimatum’ from the ICC. This contradictory position of the two parties has created a haze. So far, neither the BCCI nor the BCB have officially opened their mouths about the decision of this meeting.

The 20-team T20 World Cup is set to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. The tournament will conclude with the final on March 8. Bangladesh, who are in Group ‘C’, will play their first three matches at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Bangladesh will play against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14. The last match of the group stage is scheduled to be played against Nepal on February 17 at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The situation deteriorated after the BCCI issued a directive to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh left-arm pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who was bought for Rs 9.2 crore in the December auction.

BCCI Secretary Debjit Saikia informed the media about the decision but did not give a clear answer as to why Mustafizur Rahman was asked to be dropped from the team. Mustafizur Rahman was the only Bangladeshi cricketer in the 2026 auction.

Insider news is that the IPL Governing Council did not hold any formal meeting on this issue. As a result, there is a lot of buzz in the cricket community about whether it was Saiki’s personal decision or pressure from other quarters.