Updated on: Jan 24, 2026 9:38:35 AM IST
Summary
Bangladesh-ICC standoff deepens as World Cup 2026 India trip hangs in balance.
Not playing the T20 World Cup a huge kick in the gut for Bangladesh cricketers
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Bangladesh’s participation at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has turned into the tournament’s most combustible off-field story, with the ICC and Bangladesh locked in a stare-down that began with a single IPL decision and has now escalated into a full-blown event-management crisis. What started as the BCCI asking KKR to release Mustaifzur Rahman has snowballed into Bangladesh’s government banning IPL broadcasts at home, the BCB pushing to move Bangladesh’ World Cup matches out of India, and the ICc refusing to alter a schedule it says is backed by independent security assessments. The stakes are no longer symbolic: this is about whether a Full Member can effectively opt out for playing World Cup games at a host venue, and what that precedent would mean for future ICC events.
This live blog tracks the entire chain, from the early flashpoint to the latest meetings and statements and deadlines. We will bring you the ICC’s latest position on fixtures and security reviews, Bangladesh’s official responses and internal deliberations and the most important question hanging over the tournament right now: what happens now?
The replacement plan has been openly discussed, with Scotland widely reported as the standby option if the ICC triggers the contingency. We will also keep an eye on the knock-on effects this could have on Group C.
Follow all the updates here:
Jan 24, 2026 9:38:34 AM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: ICC action looms as Jay Shah weighs next steps
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: According to a report in the news agency ANI, ICC Chairman Jay Shah is considering strict action against Bangladesh if they do not agree to travel to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup. Sources said the ICC Chairman is currently in Dubai for the final decision on the issue.
Jan 24, 2026 8:37:45 AM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Not BCB, but Bangladesh government is mandating to take decision
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: The ICC Board of Directors voted 14-2 in favour of Bangladesh playing their T20 World Cup group-stage matches in India following an independent security assessment that rated the threat as “low to moderate”. However, Bangladesh’s interim government and its sports ministry advisor and anti-India hardliner, Asif Nazrul, revealed that it wasn’t the BCB but the government that was mandated to make the decision.
Jan 23, 2026 8:01:58 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: READ – detailed explanation of DRC’s refusal
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Here is why the BCB cannot use the DRC route to try and make an appeal against the ICC’s decision to bar them from playing in Sri Lanka for the World Cup.
Jan 23, 2026 6:41:51 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Scotland to be named as replacement by tomorrow, Saturday
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: The PTI report also states that Scotland have been placed on standby with regards to participation in the World Cup, and will receive confirmation by Satueday – a mere two weeks before the start of the tournament.
Jan 23, 2026 6:21:34 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: BCB upsets ICC by holding presser before intimating body of decision
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: PTI’s source also revealed that the ICC Board is extremely miffed with higher-ups in the BCB attempting to commandeer the narrative via a press conference before even informing the board on Thursday evening.
“The ICC Board Members are extremely angry with Aminul Islam Bulbul as to why before informing the global body, a press conference was held. Asif Nazrul is a persona-non-grata for the ICC but Bulbul shouldn’t have allowed a press conference before informing their decision to the ICC,” the source explained.
Jan 23, 2026 6:08:08 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Dispute Resolution Committee will not hear BCB’s plea
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Looks like Bangladesh’s attempt to use the DRC route will not go ahead successfully. An ICC source speaking to PTI revealed that it is outside the DRC’s protocol to take on any case that involves decisions made by the ICC board, such as that of refusing an alternate venue. All in all, what this means is that Bangladesh’s case has been stymied.
“Bangladesh can approach the DRC but if one looks at the rules, the case can’t even heard as the committee doesn’t have the remit to hear an appeal which is against the decision made by the Board of Directors,” explained the source.
Jan 23, 2026 5:36:20 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Cracks within Bangladesh cricket as players are drawn a line
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: For Bangladesh, the waves of this decision will begin to make themselves felt. With commercial income already at stake following the Mustafizur situation, not playing on the biggest stage also hurts them – a decision which actively hurts players, and will have repercussions, you have to assume.
Jan 23, 2026 4:58:06 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: ICC begin to prepare for next steps
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: With the Bangladesh situation beginning to look untenable, the big question in ICC conference rooms will be waht to do next. A last minute invite to Scotland or Jersey, or a different Asian team for whom travel might be simpler? Forfeiture of Bangladesh’s matches in Group C? All options will be considered.
Jan 23, 2026 4:30:20 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: What crestfallen Bangladesh cricketers said
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: A few more quotes from Bangladesh cricketers, as the team will miss a T20 World Cup for the first time in history. A big missed opportunity that hurts them deeply.
Jan 23, 2026 3:39:51 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Mohd Azharuddin weighs in
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Former Indian captain Mohammed Azharuddin spoke to ANI about the Bangladesh-ICC row, and pointed out that they are the only team who seem to have an issue with the security.
“If they don’t come, it is their loss. They cannot complain about our security system. A lot of international matches are going on, and no team has complained. If they don’t come, it will be their loss and a loss for their players. Our country is very secure. All the teams are playing. New Zealand are currently playing in India, and South Africa played just a few days ago,” Azharuddin said.
“You can’t keep shifting the World Cup matches here and there. Since the matches are already scheduled, it is very difficult to shift matches.”
Jan 23, 2026 3:29:14 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Bangladesh players hurt by lack of a dialogue with BCB
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Quoted in a Cricbuzz report, an anonymous Bangladesh cricketer revealed that the decision had no input from the players, who were largely on board with participating in the tournament. Instead, it was a directive given to them:
“The meeting was called not to give our consent as it was made out to be initially. Rather, we were called so that we are aware of the development in the ongoing crisis. They made up their mind and decided what they will do before coming into the meeting, and it’s not like any decision was taken taking our views into consideration,” said the player.
Jan 23, 2026 3:13:00 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: The grounds for BCB’s dispute – ICC’s failure to guarantee security
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Here is what Asif Nazrul said on Thursday after the decision not to participate in the World Cup:
“No matter how much the ICC says there is no security risk, the ICC does not have its own country. The country where my player was not safe – and where the Indian cricket board, which is an extended arm of the government, failed or was unwilling to provide him security under pressure from extremists – that is the country hosting this tournament.”
Jan 23, 2026 2:35:40 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Explained: What is ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC)?
The DRC is the ICC’s independent dispute-settlement route – essentially an arbitration panel used when boards challenge ICC decisions or interpretations of rules. It operates confidentially, typically under English law with proceedings seated in London, and is meant to deliver a final, binding ruling. By asking for DRC intervention, Bangladesh aren’t just lobbying for a venue switch anymore – they are formally contesting the ICC’s decision-making process.
Jan 23, 2026 2:17:19 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: BCB seeks ICC dispute panel intervention
Bangladesh have taken the standoff into formal challenge territory. As per a Times of India report, the BCB has written another letter to the ICC asking independent Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) to step in over their demand to move T20 World Cup 2026 matches from India to Sri Lanka. The DRC functions like arbitration under English law, with decisions described as final and binding – a sharp escalation from requests to a rules-based fight.
Jan 23, 2026 2:03:05 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Pakistan’s line – back Bangladesh at ICC, but no boycott plan
Pakistan’s stance has split into clear tracks. Officiallym the PCB backed Bangaldesh in its communication to the ICC and was reportedly the lone Full Member to side with the BCB at the ICC Board table. But a PCB-linked source has also ruled out any Pakistan boycott in solidarity, arguing they have no grounds to pull out because Pakistan’s own World Cup games are already scheduled in Sri Lanka under existing ICC agreement.
Jan 23, 2026 1:27:18 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Bangladesh doubling down previously
Bangladesh’s stance hardened after the deadline drama: sports adviser Asif Nazrul says there is no scope to send the team to India, insisting security risk has not changed. The BCB has also hit out at the ICC and Indian authorities for not doing enough to reassure them, while arguing the ICC showed double standards allowing India a neutral-venue solution for the Champions Trophy.
Jan 23, 2026 12:42:14 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Deadline expires – ICC set to rigger Scotland contingency
Cricbuzz reports the ICC’s 24-hour deadline to the BCB has lapsed without any formal response from Dhaka, pushing the standoff to its most decisive moment yet. With Bangladesh not confirming travel to India, the ICC is expected to move quickly to invite Scotland as the replacement. BCB president Aminul Islam spoke of a last-minute miracle, but the board vote is done – and Bangladesh’s government reiterated the no-India stance.
Jan 23, 2026 12:27:55 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Bangladesh players: ‘We were briefed, not consulted’
Bangladesh’s player left the stakeholder meeting crestfallen, saying the decision to not travel to India for T20 World Cup 2026 felt pre-written. One cricketer said they were called only to be aware of the crisisis and their views weren’t considered: another bluntly sighed, “Cricket is finished.” Even so, Litton Das and Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto reportedly told officials the team was ready to play. They called it a direct government order.
Jan 23, 2026 12:23:02 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: January 22 – Government meets players,
A day after the ICC refused to move Bangladesh’s fixtures, the spotlight shifted to Dhaka. Sports adviser Asif Nazrul met national cricketers and board officials as Bangladesh’s line hardened: There is no scope for the team to travel to India, and any decision will be taken by the government on security grounds. The BCB, meanwhile, kept pushing for a neutral venue while preparing for the tournament in parallel – a strange split-screen of planning and defiance.
Jan 23, 2026 12:00:01 PM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: January 21 – ICC draws a hard line
After an ICC Board meeting on January 21, the governing body refused Bangladesh’s request to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India, saying independent security assessments found no credible threat and the tournament will proceed as scheduled. The decision instantly raised the stakes: Bangladesh were asked to confirm participation under the existing itinerary, with the contingency plan – Scotland as the standby replacement – now openly part of the conversation.
Jan 23, 2026 11:28:10 AM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: January 14-15 – Players push back, BCB reshuffles
As the World Cup venue row heated up, the standoff spilled into Bangladesh cricket’s own corridors. A group of senior players threatened to boycott all cricket unless BCB director M Najmul Islam stepped down, after his “Indian agent” remark and the widening backlash around the board’s handling of the crisis. Within a day, the BCB removed him from all responsibilities of the finance committee chair, to calm the storm.
Jan 23, 2026 10:28:07 AM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: January 5 – The blowback after Mustafizur incident
Within 48 hours of Mustafizur Rahman being pulled out of IPL 2026, Dhaka hit back. On January 5, Bangaldesh’s government ordered broadcasters to halt IPL telecasts and promotion, and the BCB formally asked the ICC to shift all of Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 group games out of India to co-host Sri Lanka. That one move turned a franchise dispute into an ICC tournament headache – and set up the “play in India or be replaced” showdown.
Jan 23, 2026 10:07:04 AM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: How it started – the Mustafizur spark that lit the fuse
This standoff traces back to early January, when the BCCI asked KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL setup, citing recent developments without spelling details. In Dhaka, that decision landed like a warning shot. Bangladesh’s government soon moved to ban IPL broadcasts and the BCB began pushing the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s World Cup matches away from India. One domestic-league flashpoint had suddenly become an ICC tournament problem.
Jan 23, 2026 9:53:23 AM IST
Bangladesh T20 World Cup row LIVE Updates: Bangladesh vs ICC – How it reached the breaking point
The ICC has refused Bangladesh’s request to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 group games out of India, citing independent security assessments and the need to protect the schedule. Bangladesh’s government and BCB maintain they won’t travel, pointing to the Mustafizur Rahman IPL fallout as the trigger. The immediate question: when does the ICC activate its contingency and slot in a replacement, with Scotland widely tipped as the next in line?
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