Bangladesh to play white-ball series against India in September:BCCI to seek government’s approval amid cross-border tension

Bangladesh’s cricket schedule has seen a major change ahead of the 2026 season. The team’s planned tour of Ireland in September 2026 has now been postponed. This decision was taken as Bangladesh are looking to host India during the same period after Mustafizur Rahman row amid cross border tensions. The development was confirmed by a Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official. The move comes as part of scheduling adjustments, with both boards trying to manage their international commitments. However, there is still uncertainty around the India tour. It depends on approval from the Government of India due to recent diplomatic tensions Bangladesh likely to host India for white-ball series on September India are currently expected to tour Bangladesh starting September 1, 2026. The series will include three One-day internationals (ODIs) and three T20I matches. Earlier, the India-Bangladesh series postponed after Mustafizur Rahman row and cross-border tensions. If the series officially gets confirmed, Team India will arrive Bangladsh by August 28, 2026. Also read: Punjab Kings aim for maiden IPL crown under Shreyas Iyer: PBKS SWOT analysis; onus on explosive openers Priyansh Prabhsimran As per the proposed schedule, the ODIs will be played on September 1, 3 and 6. Meanwhile, the T20I series will begin on September 9, 12 and 13. This series was originally planned for 2025 but was postponed earlier and moved to 2026. Ireland tour postponed after scheduling issues According to the report of Cricbuzz, Cricket Ireland informed the BCB that they could not reschedule the series within 2026. This came after Bangladesh said they would not be available in September due to their plans to host India. Both cricket boards then decided to postpone the tour after failing to find a suitable window. “When the India series was moved from last year to this September, we asked them (Cricket Ireland) if they could accommodate us at another time in 2026, but they said they were unable to do so. So the tour has been postponed,” a BCB official told Cricbuzz on Saturday. “They also had some other issues, so we decided to work together to find a new window for the Ireland tour, hopefully sometime next year (2027),” he added further. 2027 ODI World Cup qualification in focus for Bangladesh Bangladesh’s schedule is very important as they aim to qualify directly for the 2027 ICC World Cup. The tournament will be held in South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Namibia. After their recent 2-1 ODI series win against Pakistan, Bangladesh have moved to ninth place in the ICC ODI rankings with 79 points. They are just two points ahead of West Indies, who are in tenth place. To qualify directly for the World Cup, Bangladesh must finish in the top eight by March 31, 2027. Teams below this position will have to play in a qualifying tournament. Also read: ‘Iss saal No. 6’, Rohit Sharma promises to MI fans: Suryakumar Yadav, Hardik Pandya request Mumbai crowd to call ‘Hitman’ on stage BAN’s busy schedule ahead, but uncertainty remains With the Ireland tour postponed, Bangladesh are expected to host teams like New Zealand, Australia and India. They will also travel to South Africa and Zimbabwe before the qualification deadline. However, there is still uncertainty around the India tour. It depends on approval from the Government of India due to recent diplomatic tensions. If the tour does not happen, Bangladesh may end up playing very few ODI matches before the qualification cut-off.