Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup in India
The decision has been made, and it’s a tough one. Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup in India. This isn’t a spontaneous emotional reaction, but the final point in a protracted standoff between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC). The reason, as is known, was the situation surrounding player Mustafizur Rahman, who was excluded from the Indian team Kolkata Knight Riders.
Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup in India: the road to boycott
It all started with BCB requests. First, they asked the ICC to move their matches out of India, citing security concerns. Then, seeing the intransigence, they tried to change the group so that all matches would be played in Sri Lanka. Both requests were categorically rejected.
At a meeting on January 21, representatives of 14 of the 16 ICC full member countries voted against any concessions to Bangladesh. Only Pakistan supported the proposal, but even it did not take radical steps such as its own boycott.
BCB President Aminul Islam Bulbul doesn’t hide his disappointment. His words sound almost like a reproach: “We want to play in the World Cup, but not in India. This is a failure of the ICC.” He talks about shocking moments in the meeting, hinting that decisions are often made unilaterally. It is as if big cricket had decided it could afford to ignore the concerns of one of its members.
Bangladeshi government sports adviser Asif Nazrul still hopes for justice and the opportunity to play in Sri Lanka, but this looks like a face-saving attempt. Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup in India, and negotiating options are almost exhausted.
The Indian side and the ICC state that there are no specific threats. But in BCB is asking a reasonable, albeit rhetorical, question: If the safety of one IPL player cannot be guaranteed, how can one guarantee the safety of the entire national team, its fans, and journalists? This isn’t just a bureaucratic dispute. It is a question of trust that seems to have been completely lost.
Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup in India: the price of principle
The consequences for Bangladesh are predictably severe. It’s not just a direct financial hit — the loss of approximately $500,000 in participation fees, plus all player bonuses and fees. The long-term risks are much more serious.
The team’s and individual players’ rankings will freeze, while competitors will continue to gain points. Relations with Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), a key force in world cricket, will inevitably deteriorate. Isolation, loss of future tournaments, and match revenue are possible. Some team veterans are already cautiously expressing their disagreement with the decision, recognizing its impact on future generations of players.
Bangladesh will not play T20 World Cup in India, and this isn’t just a scandal of one tournament. The whole story highlights the more complex relationships within international cricket, where political and historical tensions often spill onto the field. Bangladesh’s decision is a demonstration of principle, even at the cost of enormous losses.
Whether this will set a precedent or be quickly forgotten after the next major tournament remains to be seen. But one thing is clear: the world of cricket has once again reminded us of itself as a complex system, where the ball flies not only in a straight trajectory, but along a complex, sometimes unpredictable one.
