ICC open to shift Bangladesh matches out of India for T20 World Cup 2026?

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The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) may get their wish of not playing the T20 World Cup 2026 in India, as the International Cricket Council is set to grant their demands.

The BCB decided to not send the team to India for the upcoming competition amid recent geopolitical tension, which saw the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL 2026. The recent violence in the neighbouring country over minorities have taken a toll on cricket as KKR released the Bangladeshi pacer upon BCCI's order.

Following that, the Bangladesh government directed BCB not to send the team to India as they citing security reasons. After an emergency meeting on Sunday (January 4), they announced their decision.

"The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours and
expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of Bangladesh
National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India," a statement from BCB read.

"Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety
and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh
Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India
for the tournament under the current conditions. In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh's matches to a venue outside India," it added.

As per a report from Cricbuzz, the ICC may allow them to play in Sri Lanka. Although it will have logistical strains, the Tigers are likely to play in the Island Country. The formal decision is yet to arrive, but they are not going to dismiss BCB's demands. The final verdict can come in a couple of days. MyKhel has approached the BCB for a comment on the current proceedings.