Bangladesh Open to Playing T20 World Cup in Sri Lanka: Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul

Bangladesh’s concerns related to touring India for the 2026 T20 World Cup are still unresolved. The sports advisor of Bangladesh, Asif Nazrul, has now doubled down on the BCB’s stance of not touring India for the mega event. He said the board has legitimate security concerns related to the India tour, so they want all the matches of Bangladesh to be shifted to Sri Lanka, a co-host of the 2026 T20 World Cup.

While speaking to reporters, Asif Nazrul said that the ICC has not fully understood the security issues Bangladeshi cricketers could face in India. He added that the board will continue to communicate with the ICC that Bangladeshi players cannot travel to India by compromising their security.

"Today, after reading the letter from the ICC, we understand that the ICC doesn't fully realise the scale of the security issue regarding Bangladeshi cricketers in India," said sports advisor of Bangladesh, Asif Nazrul.

"I believe it's not only a matter of security but also that of national humiliation. We are looking at it as a security issue, where the BCCI itself is telling the Kolkata [Knight Riders] team that this player can't be given security, [so] leave him out from your team. This in itself is a tacit recognition that it isn't very safe to play in India." added Asif Nazrul.

Bangladesh’s concerns about playing the T20 World Cup in India intensified when the BCCI instructed KKR to remove Mustafizur Rahman from its IPL 2026 squad. The move angered not only cricket fans in Bangladesh but also the board, which immediately began questioning the security of its players ahead of the upcoming event.

The sports advisor of Bangladesh, Asif Nazrul, further said that the nation will not compromise anything on its dignity. He added that a firm stance has been taken on the issue, which is why the board is respectfully asking the ICC to shift Bangladesh’s tournament matches to Sri Lanka.

"We don't want to say anything about the bigger picture, the communal situation, in India. But when it comes to our cricketers' safety, Bangladesh's safety, and Bangladesh's dignity, we won't make any compromise.” said Asif Nazrul while talking to the reporters.

“We want to play cricket, we want to play the World Cup, but we want to play in Sri Lanka, which is the other host country. We are honoring our position on this because we hope we are able to convince the ICC, and that the ICC considers our logic with an open heart, and neutrally, to let us deservingly play in the World Cup.” added Asif Nazrul.

Will Follow the Government’s Directives, Says BCB President

The President of BCB, Aminul Islam, also shared his thoughts on the issue, saying that the board will proceed as per the directives of the government ahead of the tournament. He is confident that the board will convince the ICC about their legitimate security concerns, which have been intensified in recent days.

"We'll try to convince the ICC. Such events related to security have taken place in the past as well. You know the main reason for a hybrid World Cup is security. So we hope to establish our reasons. When the Champions Trophy happened, India didn't go to Pakistan. Even Pakistan didn't go to India to play in the World Cup. So we hope we'll get the right answer." said Aminul Islam.