Bangladesh T20 World Cup participation LIVE Updates: Bangladesh Cricket Board has hinted that its national government may not allow it to play in India, adding that the country is not safe for its team.

Bangladesh T20 World Cup participation LIVE Updates: Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will hold talks with the Bangladesh government today (22 January) to decide on its participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 in India. If the Bangladesh government refuses permission to travel to India, then Bangladesh will be replaced by Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Bangladesh wanted to switch groups with Ireland or Zimbabwe and play their matches in Sri Lanka, not India, citing security concerns, but the ICC Board
voted against their request and upheld the T20 World Cup 2026 schedule that has Bangladesh playing their group stage matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.

After being pushed to the brink, BCB president Aminul Islam sought more time from ICC to have another
round of negotiation with the Bangladesh government. Islam, however, said that the chances of the Bangladesh government changing its mind are negligible, in which case ICC could be forced to name a replacement team and that could be Scotland.

India is ’not safe’ for the Bangladesh team: BCB

Islam also said that India is “not safe” for the Bangladesh team. “I asked the ICC board for time to talk to my government for one last time,” Aminul said. “They said it’s a valid point, and gave me 24 or 48 hours to get back to them. I don’t want to put pressure on the government. We know that India is not secure for us. We remain in the stance that we want to play in Sri Lanka. I know the ICC denied us but we will talk to the government one more time. I will inform the ICC about the government’s feedback.”

“The Bangladesh players want to play the World Cup. The Bangladesh government wants Bangladesh to play the World Cup. But we don’t think India is safe for our players. A government doesn’t only consider the players, but they consider all, when it takes a decision.”

Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul is scheduled to meet the national players at the InterContinental Hotel in Dhaka on Thursday at 3 pm, where the final decision could be taken.