Cricket
oi-Gaurav Sharma
The
International
Cricket
Council
is
preparing
an
official
reply
to
Bangladesh
Cricket
Board’s
request
about
the
T20
World
Cup
2026,
after
the
board
sought
to
move
Bangladesh’s
matches
out
of
India
on
safety
grounds,
with
a
response
expected
between
Monday
and
Tuesday
this
week.
Less
than
four
weeks
remain
before
the
T20
World
Cup
2026
begins,
and
competing
teams
are
due
to
reach
India
in
the
first
week
of
February
for
training,
so
tournament
organisers
are
under
pressure
to
settle
the
venue
dispute
that
has
dominated
headlines.
The
Bangladesh
Cricket
Board
(BCB)
requested
the
ICC
to
move
its
T20
World
Cup
2026
matches
from
India
to
Sri
Lanka,
citing
security
concerns;
the
ICC
prefers
to
keep
matches
in
India
and
suggests
Chennai
or
Thiruvananthapuram
instead
of
Kolkata
and
Mumbai.
T20
World
Cup
2026
venue
change
request
and
security
concerns
The
Bangladesh
Cricket
Board
has
asked
the
ICC
to
shift
Bangladesh’s
T20
World
Cup
2026
fixtures
from
India
to
Sri
Lanka,
formally
citing
‘security
concerns’
after
fast
bowler
Mustafizur
Rahman
was
released
by
Kolkata
Knight
Riders
on
the
suggestion
of
the
BCCI.
Despite
the
Bangladesh
Cricket
Board’s
request
to
move
the
T20
World
Cup
2026
games
abroad,
the
ICC
is
understood
to
favour
keeping
the
matches
in
India,
suggesting
Chennai
and
Thiruvananthapuram
instead
of
the
original
venues
in
Kolkata
and
Mumbai.
T20
World
Cup
2026
India
venues
and
alternatives
Bangladesh
are
currently
listed
to
play
group
stage
matches
in
Kolkata
and
Mumbai
during
the
T20
World
Cup
2026,
but
the
ICC
has
floated
Chennai
and
Thiruvananthapuram
as
replacement
grounds
if
the
Bangladesh
Cricket
Board
refuses
the
initial
schedule.
| Team | Event |
Current venues |
Alternatives suggested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bangladesh |
T20 World Cup 2026 group stage |
Kolkata, Mumbai |
Chennai, Thiruvananthapuram |
The
Bangladesh
Cricket
Board
had
earlier
turned
down
Chennai
as
an
option
for
T20
World
Cup
2026
games,
though
BCB
president
Aminul
Islam
signalled
that
the
position
might
change
once
the
government
reviews
it,
saying,
“Since
you
know
that
we
are
not
taking
decisions
alone
regarding
this
World
Cup,
we
will
discuss
it
with
the
government
and
we
are
still
where
we
stood,” while
speaking
to
reporters
in
Sylhet.
The
Bangladesh
government,
which
is
involved
in
decisions
about
the
T20
World
Cup
2026
schedule,
also
wants
direct
talks
with
the
Indian
government
regarding
the
security
concerns
mentioned
by
the
Bangladesh
Cricket
Board
before
agreeing
to
any
updated
venue
plan.
Bangladesh
umpire
Sharfuddoula
Saikat
stood
in
the
first
ODI
between
India
and
New
Zealand
in
Vadodara
on
Sunday,
and
both
Saikat
and
Gazi
Sohel
are
expected
to
work
as
match
officials
during
the
T20
World
Cup
2026,
a
situation
the
ICC
may
use
to
counter
Bangladesh’s
security
claims
while
urging
the
team
to
travel.
With
the
T20
World
Cup
2026
fast
approaching
and
logistics
already
in
motion
for
team
arrivals
and
practice
schedules,
the
ICC
is
aiming
to
close
the
venue
issue
quickly,
keep
Bangladesh’s
matches
in
India
if
possible,
and
settle
on
locations
acceptable
to
both
cricket
boards
and
governments.
