PCB writes to ICC backing Bangladesh over T20 World Cup venue row

The standoff between India and Bangladesh has taken a new turn, with Pakistan stepping into the picture. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has written to the International Cricket Council (ICC), backing Bangladesh’s stance of not wanting to play its scheduled fixtures in India amid ongoing political tensions between the two countries.

A face-to-face meeting between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) took place on January 17, with a final decision expected around January 21 on whether Bangladesh will honour its fixtures or forfeit them. However, Bangladesh’s Sports Adviser, Asif Nazrul, has denied that any concrete timeline was agreed upon, stating that while the meeting did happen, no deadline was set.

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As per ESPNcricinfo, the ICC has now called for a board meeting on Wednesday to discuss Bangladesh’s request to relocate their matches outside India due to “security and safety concerns”. It remains unclear whether this meeting was convened directly in response to the PCB’s communication.

PCB’s involvement, however, is unlikely to significantly alter the ICC’s position. The governing body remains firm on hosting the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 as per the existing schedule, with Bangladesh currently slated to play three group-stage matches at Eden Gardens in Kolkata and one match at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

With the issue still at an impasse, PCB’s late intervention comes weeks after the dispute first surfaced. Media reports have suggested that Pakistan is willing to host Bangladesh’s matches and has even reviewed its own participation in the tournament depending on the outcome of Bangladesh’s situation. The PCB is also reported to have paused certain preparations in a show of support. However, the board has not issued any official statement on the matter, according to ESPNcricinfo.

The row began when the BCCI directed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to remove Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL squad amid reports of violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. KKR subsequently complied with the directive. In response, Bangladesh banned the broadcast of IPL and related programming in the country and formally wrote to the ICC requesting that their T20 World Cup matches be shifted from India to Sri Lanka, citing safety and security concerns.

On Tuesday, Bangladesh rejected what it termed “unreasonable conditions” imposed by the ICC regarding their participation in the T20 World Cup. Speaking at the Secretariat, Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul said, “If the ICC bows to pressure from the Indian cricket board and imposes unreasonable conditions on us, we will not accept them.”

“There are precedents in international cricket. When India refused to play in Pakistan, the ICC changed the venue. We have reasonably asked for a venue change,” he added.

Earlier, ICC sources had stated that independent risk assessments conducted by internationally recognised security experts did not find any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team, its officials, or match venues in India. The assessments rated the overall security risk for the tournament as low to moderate, consistent with many major global sporting events.

The ICC sources further noted that the risks associated with Bangladesh’s scheduled matches in Kolkata and Mumbai could be effectively managed through standard security planning and mitigation measures, reinforcing the ICC’s position on keeping the tournament schedule unchanged.