The International Cricket Council is willing to consider relocating Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup fixtures away from India, Cricbuzz reported on January 4, just hours after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officially submitted a venue change request citing security concerns.
This development emerged following the Mustafizur Rahman IPL controversy. In response to that incident, the BCB approached the ICC requesting their matches be transferred to Sri Lanka, the tournament’s co-host. While no final verdict has been reached, the ICC is reportedly evaluating the appeal, with player safety forming a central consideration in its assessment.
On Saturday, the Board of Control for Cricket in India instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur, who had been acquired at auction for Rs 9.20 crore. The directive came amid demonstrations by right-wing organizations in India, who objected to a Bangladeshi cricketer participating in the IPL during a period when violence against Hindu minorities has been documented in Bangladesh.
The BCB condemned the decision, triggering intervention from Bangladesh’s interim government. Following Mustafizur’s release, government officials instructed the BCB to escalate the matter with the ICC and pursue relocation of their World Cup matches from Indian venues.
Bangladesh’s sports adviser Asif Nazrul issued a forceful statement declaring the country would not tolerate what he termed the humiliation of Bangladesh and its cricketers. He also suggested the government might prohibit IPL broadcast telecasts within Bangladesh.
“Bowing to extremist communal forces, the Indian cricket board has directed Kolkata Knight Riders to drop Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the team. I strongly condemn and protest this,” Nazrul posted on Facebook.
“As the minister in charge of sports, I have instructed the Cricket Board to write to the ICC explaining the entire matter. The board must clearly state that if a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite having a valid contract, then Bangladesh cannot consider it safe for its entire team to travel to India for the World Cup,” he stated.
Nazrul added he had directed the BCB to formally petition for Bangladesh’s World Cup fixtures to be hosted in Sri Lanka and instructed the information and broadcasting ministry to examine blocking IPL telecasts domestically. “Under no circumstances will we accept the humiliation of Bangladesh, Bangladeshi cricket, or Bangladeshi cricketers,” he emphasized.
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The BCB dispatched its formal correspondence on Sunday afternoon, January 4. The ICC is anticipated to respond swiftly. Should the governing body approve BCB’s petition, both Pakistan and Bangladesh would conduct all their T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.