What happens if ICC doesn't accept Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 request & BCB stays firm? All scenarios explained

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has been put in a fix after the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) refusal to travel to India to play at the T20 World Cup 2026 next month. The decision by the BCB came after Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the upcoming edition of the Indian Premier League (IPL) last week.

Mustafizur's ouster from the IPL came after a BCCI directive to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release the Bangladesh left-arm quick “due to recent developments going across” amid the political storm between the two countries. KKR had bought Mustafizur for ₹9.20 crores last month.

Angered by Mustafizur's removal, the BCB "formally requested the ICC, as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.” Placed in Group C, Bangladesh were to play three matches at Eden Gardens in Kolkata (vs Italy, England, West Indies) and one at Mumbai's Wankhede Stadium (vs Nepal).

It must be noted Sri Lanka is co-hosts of the T20 World Cup 2026, with Pakistan playing all their games on Lankan soil. With just a month left for the big event to start, revising the tournament schedule is a big task for ICC as it involves huge logistical nightmares, which includes flight tickets and hotel bookings as well for the whole contingents.

It's not only about Bangladesh, but but the ICC has to make arrangements for their opposition teams too. While the ball is now on ICC's court, it remains to be seen how the apex body, headed by former BCCI secretary Jay Shah, handles the whole situation.

During the 1996 ODI World Cup, Australia and West Indies refused to travel to Sri Lanka over security reasons. Sri Lanka have gotten walkovers against those two teams.

In 2003, England and New Zealand skipped their ODI World Cup matches in Kenya and Zimbabwe citing security concerns, resulting in walkovers. Kenya and Zimbabwe were co-hosts of 2003 World Cup.

Another option could be ICC replacing Bangladesh with another other team, something they did in 2009 and 2016. In the 2009 T20 World Cup, Scotland replaced Zimbabwe after the latter pulled out a year prior.

In the 2016 U-19 World Cup, Ireland replaced Australia, who pulled out of the tournament in Bangladesh just 22 days before.

Bangladesh's T20 World Cup 2026 schedule