ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Will Pakistan also not play if Bangladesh withdraws
ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026: Asif Nazrul, the sports advisor to the Bangladesh government, said that if the ICC succumbs to pressure from the Indian board and tries to impose unfair conditions on them, they will not accept such conditions. He reiterated that they will not play in India in the T20 World Cup.
Following the killings of Hindus in Bangladesh, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), at the behest of the BCCI, released Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from IPL 2026. Angered by this, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) began demanding that their matches be held outside of India.
The ICC has asked the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to decide by January 21 whether its team will participate in the World Cup. It was also stated that if Bangladesh does not come to India to play, Scotland would be given the opportunity based on their ranking.
At a meeting in Dhaka on January 17, the ICC rejected the BCB's request to change groups. The ICC also assured the BCB that there was no specific security threat to the Bangladesh team. The Bangladesh board had requested to be placed in Group B instead of Group C. The board argued that this would allow Bangladesh to play all its matches in Sri Lanka, thereby reducing travel and security-related difficulties.
Pakistan may also withdraw
However, if Bangladesh is removed from the T20 World Cup, Pakistan can also withdraw from the tournament. This claim was made by the Pakistani channel Geo News, citing sources within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
The report states that the PCB has also halted its preparations for the tournament and has asked the team management to develop a contingency plan. This is to manage the situation if Pakistan decides not to participate in the tournament. However, neither the PCB nor the ICC has issued any official statement on the matter.