TNI Bureau: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly turned down a request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to move Bangladesh’s matches of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 out of India.

The BCB said in a statement that it had formally asked the ICC to shift Bangladesh’s Group C matches of the tournament, which is scheduled to be hosted in India. However, according to a report by ESPNcricinfo on January 6, the ICC has rejected the request.

As per the report, the ICC informed the BCB during a virtual meeting that Bangladesh would need to travel to India to play their scheduled matches, citing security-related assessments. The report added that the ICC indicated Bangladesh could risk forfeiting points if they did not participate as scheduled. The BCB, however, has maintained that no such ultimatum was officially communicated to them.

Bangladesh are slated to play all four of their Group C matches in India. Their first three matches—against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and Italy on February 14—are scheduled to be held at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. Their final group match against Nepal on February 17 is set to take place in Mumbai.

The request to shift venues came a day after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) asked IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. Rahman was signed by KKR for ₹9.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction held in Abu Dhabi on December 16.

Mustafizur Rahman, Bangladesh’s highest wicket-taker in T20 Internationals with over 400 T20 wickets overall, was the only Bangladeshi player picked in the IPL 2026 auction. He has previously represented Sunrisers Hyderabad, Mumbai Indians, Rajasthan Royals, Chennai Super Kings and Delhi Capitals in the IPL.

The ICC has not yet issued an official public statement on the matter.