Bangladesh’s newly appointed State Minister for Youth and Sports, Aminul Haque, has indicated he is keen to reset cricketing ties between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and “resolve the issue quickly” following the events that led to Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the T20 World Cup 2026.
Bangladesh are not part of the ongoing 2026 T20 World Cup (AFP)
“After taking the oath today, I met the Deputy High Commissioner of India at the Parliament building. I discussed the T20 World Cup with him,” Haque said on Tuesday after Bangladesh’s new cabinet was sworn in following the general elections. “It was a cordial conversation. I told him that we want to resolve this issue quickly through discussions because we want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighbouring countries.”
Tensions between the two cricket boards, who are set to co-host the 2031 World Cup, escalated after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, the only Bangladeshi in IPL 2026, was removed from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. Bangladesh, citing security concerns, then urged the ICC to shift their World Cup matches out of India. The ICC rejected the plea and later replaced Bangladesh in the tournament with Scotland.
While Bangladesh’s sports advisor Asif Nazrul blamed both the players and the BCB for the team’s absence from the tournament, Haque clarified that unresolved diplomatic issues were at the heart of the matter.
“You know that because of diplomatic complications, we could not play in the World Cup. If those issues had been discussed and settled earlier, our team might have participated,” he said.
The ICC, however, assured that Bangladesh would not face penalties for refusing to travel to India and promised the country hosting rights for a global tournament in the 2028–31 cycle.
Haque’s statement could indicate that if relations improve, India’s scheduled tour of Bangladesh in September, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is, may proceed as planned.