Bangladesh-India T20 World Cup dispute unresolved as ICC deadline looms

Bangladesh-India T20 World Cup dispute unresolved as ICC deadline loomsBangladeshi official says his country will not back down under pressure as team captain Litton Das voices concerns over his team’s participation.Published On 21 Jan 2026A top sport official has cast doubts over Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup, saying his country will not back down to “unreasonable coercion” and play their matches in India despite security concerns.“We have logically requested a change of venue for valid reasons,” Asif Nazrul, youth and sports adviser in the Bangladesh interim government, told the state-run BSS news agency late on Tuesday.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Feuds, boycotts, sacking: What’s the Bangladesh cricket crisis all about?list 2 of 4India-Bangladesh tensions rock cricket, as sport turns diplomatic weaponlist 3 of 4‘I didn’t set out to break records’: Pakistan’s first female MMA fighterlist 4 of 4Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup games in India over safety concernsend of list“We cannot be forced to play in India through illogical pressure or unreasonable coercion.”The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refused to play its four group-stage fixtures in India, citing safety and security concerns for its players, and asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate the fixtures to co-hosts Sri Lanka for the upcoming tournament.With cricket’s governing body expected to rule on the impasse imminently, an official from the Bangladeshi government stated that they would not be pressured into changing their stance.The last round of talks between the BCB and the ICC failed to reach any deal to end the impasse, amid reports that Bangladesh had been told to agree to play in India by Wednesday or risk being kicked out of the tournament.Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has reportedly put its weight behind Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India and has written to the ICC to consider the ongoing political turmoil in the region before reaching a conclusion.“The PCB wrote to the [ICC’s] governing body stating that it supports the BCB’s stance on not wanting to play in India at a time of political turmoil in the neighbourhood,” a report on ESPNcricinfo said.