Will Bangladesh team not come to India to play T20 World Cup 2026?
Bangladesh team will not be coming to India to play the T20 World Cup-2026. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. Changing the match schedule is not easy, as all the teams' tickets have already been booked.
All four of Bangladesh's group stage matches are scheduled to be played in India. Three matches are at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and one at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
However, the Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star, citing an official from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), said Bangladesh team will not come to India. The report states that the BCB made this decision after Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman was removed from the IPL at the behest of the BCCI.
As protests in India strengthened over attacks against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, demands for Mustafizur's exit from the Indian Premier League gained momentum After a BCCI request, the Kolkata Knight Riders decided to release the left-arm pacer. But, this only seems to be the beginning of worsening cricketing relations between the two countries.
BCB asks ICC to hold its matches in Sri Lanka
The Bangladesh Cricket Board has asked the ICC to hold its matches in Sri Lanka. The ICC will now decide whether Bangladesh's matches will be held in Sri Lanka or not. Although the BCB has not yet confirmed this, Asif Nazrul, the sports advisor (sports minister) in the Yunus government, has shared this information on social media and welcomed the BCB's decision.
20 teams are participating in the group stage
A total of 20 teams are participating in the group stage of the T20 World Cup 2026, divided into 4 different groups. Each team will play 4 league matches in its group. After the league stage, the top two teams from each group will advance to the Super 8 stage.
Bangladesh in Group C and Afghanistan in Group D appear to be in the toughest groups, as they include England, West Indies, South Africa, and New Zealand. All four of these teams have experience playing in World Cup finals, while Bangladesh and Afghanistan have never reached a World Cup final. The group stage matches will be played from February 7th to February 19th.