India U-19 face Bangladesh first time since Mustafizur Rahman row:Ayush Mhatre’s side won against USA, will the two captains shake hands?

India will face Bangladesh on Saturday, in match number 7 of the ongoing U-19 World Cup 2026. Apart from the usual bragging rights at stake, the fixture will grab all the more eyeballs since it’s the first meeting between India and Bangladesh, since the Mustafizur Rahman row. After Kolkata Knight Riders released Mustafizur from their squad, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have cited security reasons and refused to send their team to India for the T20 World Cup. With the controversy that unfolded in the past days, it will be interesting to see if the Indian captain Ayush Mhatre will shake hands with Bangladeshi skipper Azizul Hakim Tamim. For the unversed, India refused to shake hands with Pakistan since the Asia Cup 2025, after Operation Sindoor. On the field, India U-19 stamped their authority over USA U-19 in the inaugural fixture of the tournament, winning the match by six wickets through the DLS method in a rain-curtailed clash. Henil Patel was the pick of the bowlers, bagging a five-wicket haul. Bangladesh will be playing their first in the tournament, and both their warm-up games also finished without a result. IND U19 vs BAN U19 match details Match: India U19 vs Bangladesh U19, Match 7, U19 World Cup 2026 Venue: Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo Date Time: Saturday, January 17; 1:00 PM (IST) Where to follow: Star Sports Network, JioHotstar (App Website), Bhaskar English app India U19 vs Bangladesh U19, head-to-head record India U19 have played Bangladesh U19 a total of 28 times across all competitions. The Indian team hold a superior record, having won 21 times, while losing just six times to Bangladesh. One match between the two teams ended without a result. Henil Patel one to keep an eye on While the Indian team have plenty of stars in the making, Henil Patel rose to the occasion against USA by taking five wickets. It was his spell that wreaked havoc on the USA batters, and he will be hoping to continue the momentum against Bangladesh as well. Queens Sports Club, Bulawayo Pitch Report The surface at the Queens Sports Club in Bulawayo is preferred by the pacers. With a past pitch, the batters would look to stay wary in the early stages of the clash. Opting to bowl first after winning the toss could be a wise decision. Bulawayo weather report Another rain-curtailed clash could be on the cards as Accuweather reported that there could be 55% chances of precipitation on Saturday. 98% cloud cover shows that the match between India and Bangladesh could be played in overcast conditions, with rain potentially disrupting the proceedings once again.