Bangladeshs Plan to Shift T20 WC Matches Hits Unexpected Turn

The T20 World Cup is less than a month away, but the drama has already started. And it is between Bangladesh, and the hosts of the T20 World Cup, India. The BCB demanded to shift their matches away from India, but this might have taken an unexpected turn.

The tensions between India and Bangladesh are growing more and more, as the T20 World Cup comes closer. Earlier, Bangladesh decided that they would not be playing their matches in India. For this, the team thought to write to the ICC, requesting a change to their venue.

But unfortunately, that did not take place, as the ICC is yet to take its official call. A major update has been brought into this matter, with two new venues emerging as the places for Bangladesh's match. It still remains a concern when Bangladesh will be playing in India, or forfeit their matches of the tournament.

1. Likely Venues for Bangladesh

Bangladesh has requested the ICC to shift their venue from India to Sri Lanka. For those who don't know, India is hosting the T20 World Cup with Sri Lanka. Pakistan would be the only team which will have all of their matches being played over there. But Bangladesh also decided to cite a similar reason for not travelling to India.

The team expected that the ICC would consider its request but it didn't happen their way. Instead, the team is reported to play their matches in India only, with the ICC having no thoughts to reschedule. According to the recent reports, the venues for Bangladesh will be Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram.

Bangladesh currently has Eden Gardens and Wankhede Stadium as their venues for the T20 World Cup. Three of their games will be played at the Eden Gardens, while the remaining one match against Nepal will be played at Wankhede. However, it is expected that the team's venue might change, looking at their demands and reports.

2. Why Tensions Between India and Bangladesh Escalated?

The tensions between India and Bangladesh started mainly due to geopolitical reasons. This has now led to strained relations between both teams even in the game. During the IPL auction, several Bangladeshi players participated to find a new IPL team for the 2026 season, with Mustafizur Rahman being one of them.

Mustafizur was bought by Kolkata Knight Riders in the auction for 9.20 crore. But the tensions between India and Bangladesh grew to a great extent within the next few days. In Bangladesh, a Hindu man named Dipu Chandra Das was beaten to death in Bangladesh, which sparked tensions between both countries.

Following this, fans decided to make calls to cancel the contracts of Bangladeshi players in the IPL. For this, the BCCI and the KKR team came under the radar. Noting the seriousness of this matter, the BCCI further advised KKR to release Mustafizur Rahman from their team. He was released with an official notice, and KKR also received the 9.20 crore for another player.

But Bangladesh decided that they would not be backing down if the matters have come to the sports. They went out to the ICC, requesting them to change venues for the T20 World Cup. The team had requested to change its venue to Sri Lanka, shifting all of its matches to there. They cited security concerns as the main reason for not playing in India.

3. What Bangladesh Said on Changed Venues?

The ICC might not have accepted the BCB request to shift their venue to Sri Lanka. But they came up with an alternative for the team. With their matches likely being shifted to Chennai and Thiruvananthapuram, it is just a matter of confirmation from the officials of both sides, to change it within the next few days.

To this news, the President of BCB has also reacted. He earlier denied having Chennai as one of the options. But now he said, “Since you know that we are not taking decisions alone regarding this World Cup, we will discuss it with the government and we are still where we stood.”

Reports also say that Bangladesh will be having talks with the Indian Government regarding the security concerns. It should also be noted that the first match between India and New Zealand's ODI series had a Bangladeshi umpire. This might also be an example which can be used by the ICC for a reason to not shift their venue.