ICC rejects Bangladesh board’s hybrid-matches plea for T20 World Cup:’Must travel to India for WC’; Apex board, BCB conducted online meeting on Tuesday

In the latest development to the Mustafizur row, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s hybrid model request. Earlier, the B’desh board made a plea to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India to another country. Notably, the BCB had refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup, citing security concerns. This came after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) released Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) after protests from several outfits for the Hindu Killings in Bangladesh. Now, as per ANI report, ICC has taken action amid the ongoing chaos. Must play T20 World Cup in India: ICC’s directive to Bangladesh board As per the report, ICC met with the Bangladesh board through an online meeting on Tuesday to resolve the deadlock. After the discussion, the board informed the BCB that they do not have a valid reason for the relocation of matches at the last minute. ICC cited that the BCCI had already promised head-of-state security for the national cricket team. The BCB, however, has refused to get any official confirmation from the apex body. What can be the repercussions for Bangladesh if they forfeit now? Under the ICC rule, if any team decides against travelling to the host country for an ICC event, they risk heavy sanctions and will have to forfeit points. In that scenario, if the Bangladesh Cricket Board refused to agree to play the T20 World Cup matches in India, they would get no points for their matches, ensuring a group stage exit from the tournament. Mustafizur to play in Pakistan after IPL snub Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman will play in Pakistan Super League after being released by Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders. The news has come out amid growing strain in bilateral ties between the two countries. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), through its official PSL handle on X, announced that Mustafizur will be playing the next edition of the PSL. However, the players’ auction for the domestic league is yet to be conducted in Pakistan. Also read: ‘How can India provide security to Bangladesh team?’:Mustafizur Rahman ‘sad’ after being left out of IPL, reveals BCB director Asif Akbar What is the whole controversy? KKR signed Mustafizur after a bidding war with Chennai Super Kings at the IPL 2026 mini-auction on 16 December. A few days later, a series of murders of Hindu youths began in Bangladesh. This triggered a massive uproar in India with several groups criticising KKR and franchise co-owner Shah Rukh Khan for signing a Bangladeshi player. Some major parties, including saints and seers, even called SRK a traitor. Taking into account all these protests, the BCCI asked KKR to release Mustafizur from the IPL. On 3 January, KKR also released Mustafizur from its squad. The BCB then held an emergency meeting and announced their decision to not travel to India for the T20 World Cup. They sought relocation of their matches to Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh government also banned IPL streaming and broadcasting in their country.