ICC Rejects Bangladesh's Plea, Reaffirms No Schedule Change For T20 World Cup 2026

T20 World Cup 2026: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that there will be no changes in the schedule of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, with Bangladesh's matches to be played in India.

In a high-level ICC Board meeting via video conference on Wednesday, January 21, ICC discussed Bangladesh's pea of moving their matches out of India to Sri Lanka.

ICC confirmed that all security assessments have been conducted, which indicated that there was no threat to Bangladesh players or any other officials.

ALSO READ: Will Pakistan Follow Bangladesh's Footsteps If BCB Decides To Boycott ICC T20 World Cup 2026? Here's All You Need To Know

ICC Issues Official Statement After Rejecting Bangladesh's Plea

In an official statement, ICC spokesperson confirmed that there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India.

"Over the past several weeks, the ICC has engaged with the BCB in sustained and constructive dialogue, with the clear objective of enabling Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament. During this period, the ICC has shared detailed inputs, including independent security assessments, comprehensive venue-level security plans and formal assurances from the host authorities, all of which consistently concluded that there is no credible or verifiable threat to the safety or security of the Bangladesh team in India,” the spokeperson stated.

"Despite these efforts, the BCB maintained its position, repeatedly linking its participation in the tournament to a single, isolated, and unrelated development concerning one of its players’ involvement in a domestic league. This linkage has no bearing on the tournament’s security framework or the conditions governing participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup," it added.

“The ICC remains committed to acting in good faith, upholding consistent standards, and safeguarding the collective interests of the global game," the statement concluded.

ALSO READ: Bangladesh Likely To Be Thrown Out Of T20 World Cup 2026, ICC Vows To Replace With Another Team

ICC Gives Bangladesh One More Day To Finalize Its Position

According to a report by ESPNcricinfo, the ICC has maintained its firm stance, notifying the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that if Bangladesh declines to travel to India for their group-stage fixtures in the 2026 T20 World Cup, they will be replaced by another team in the tournament.

This decision was reached following a vote, with the majority of ICC Board members supporting the move to bring in a replacement. The ICC has granted the BCB an additional day to finalize its position on refusing to play in India.

The report further stated that if Bangladesh persist in their refusal, Scotland is expected to step in as their replacement in Group C. Notably, Scotland had previously missed out on qualification for the event, finishing behind the Netherlands, Italy, and Jersey in the European Qualifier.