‘Not much time left to overcome logistical challenge’: Aakash Chopra on BCB requesting ICC to shift T20 WC fixtures outside India

NEW DELHI: After the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided not to send Bangladesh’s men’s team to India for the T20 World Cup this year following the release of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), former Indian cricketer Aakash Chopra said that it would be a difficult task to reshuffle their matches to another venue with just one month left for the tournament to start.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to relocate Bangladesh’s matches in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 to venues outside India, citing “safety and security” concerns of the Bangladeshi players, as per a BCB press release.

The BCB said that the team will not travel to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, set to be hosted jointly by India and Sri Lanka over the “growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent”.

The developments follow the announcement by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that they had removed Bangladeshi player Muztafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 roster in response to a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding atrocities committed against minorities in Bangladesh.

Taking to Instagram, Aakash said, “Now, there is only one month left (T20 WC will start from February 7). The ball is in the ICC’s court. They will figure out what to do”.

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Aakash also pointed out that comparisons to India opting against playing in the ICC Champions Trophy last year in Pakistan cannot be compared with this situation, as India had made it known months in advance that they did not want to go to Pakistan and they were even fine with not playing in the tournament.

“Logistically, it is going to be a little difficult. Because it is not easy to reshuffle a lot of matches at such short notice. If you are thinking about the Champions Trophy, India had said six months ago that if we want to play, we can’t go to Pakistan. If you want to hold the tournament without us, you can. So, that was India’s stance at that point in time. And the ICC had a lot of time to manage this. There is not much time left to overcome the logistical challenge. It is an interesting situation”, he concluded.

“An emergency meeting of the Board of Directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was held this afternoon to discuss recent developments related to the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka”, the BCB release said.

“The Board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours, and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh National Team in matches scheduled to be played in India. Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions”, the BCB release added.

The release also noted that the BCB has formally asked the ICC to move all of Bangladesh’s matches to venues outside India to ensure the safety of players and officials and is awaiting an urgent response.

“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India The Board believes that such a step is necessary to safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, Board members and other stakeholders and to ensure that the team can participate in the tournament in a secure and appropriate environment. The Bangladesh Cricket Board looks forward to the ICC’s understanding of the situation and an urgent response on this matter,” the statement read.

A media advisory issued by the KKR confirming Mustafizur’s release had stated, “Kolkata Knight Riders confirms that BCCI/IPL, as the regulator of IPL, has instructed it to release Mustafizur Rahman from the squad ahead of the upcoming Indian Premier League (IPL) season.”

KKR’s decision came after the BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia said that the apex cricket board has instructed the IPL franchise KKR to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman “due to the recent developments”.

“Due to the recent developments which is going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement,” Devaijit Saikia had said.

Notably, the inclusion of the Bangladesh player sparked a political backlash in India, particularly amid the recent targeting of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh, and various opinions were raised about Mustafizur being selected by KKR for the IPL 2026 season, picked by three-time champions for Rs 9.20 crore last year in December during the IPL auction. (ANI)