India-Bangladesh
World Cup shocker! ICC may shift Bangladesh matches out of India
The International Cricket Council (ICC) may be open to considering a request from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to shift Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches out of India, media reports said on Sunday.
While the ICC has not yet taken a formal decision or convened a meeting—Sunday being a non-working day—Cricbuzz reported that the world body is not averse to relocating Bangladesh’s fixtures to Sri Lanka, a co-host of the T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh is currently scheduled to play all its league matches in India, including three games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. According to the report, a final decision is expected to be taken within the next one or two days.
The BCB’s move comes in the aftermath of the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) releasing Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman ahead of the 2026 Indian Premier League (IPL) season. The decision was reportedly taken during a BCB Board of Directors meeting on Saturday, attended by 17 board members, according to Prothom Alo.
Rahman’s inclusion in the KKR squad had earlier triggered political and social controversy in India. Former BJP MLA Sangeet Som publicly criticised KKR co-owner Shah Rukh Khan, accusing him of being a “traitor” for signing a Bangladeshi player and warning of opposition to Bangladeshi cricketers touring India.
The backlash intensified after spiritual leader Devkinandan Thakur urged KKR management to reconsider Rahman’s selection. It escalated further when Meera Rathore, district president of the All India Hindu Mahasabha in Agra, staged a protest by defacing a poster of Shah Rukh Khan, drawing widespread condemnation.
KKR had acquired Mustafizur Rahman for ₹9.2 crore at the IPL mini-auction in December 2025.
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