The International Cricket Council has shared a security review with Bangladesh. The report says there is no specific or serious threat to the Bangladesh team in India during the 2026 T20 World Cup.
The assessment was sent to the security unit of the Bangladesh Cricket Board last week. It says the overall risk level is normal. Some venues carry low to moderate risk. Others are rated low to none. The ICC says such ratings are common across the world and do not justify moving matches.
The issue came into focus after comments by Bangladesh sports adviser Asif Nazrul. He said earlier that the ICC review showed problems for Bangladesh playing in India.
“We sent two letters to the ICC. After that, the ICC security team sent a letter,” Nazrul said on Monday.
Nazrul claimed the assessment mentioned three sensitive issues. These were Mustafizur Rahman playing for Bangladesh, fans wearing Bangladesh jerseys in India, and upcoming elections in Bangladesh.
He said these points prove Bangladesh cannot safely play in India. He added that expecting Bangladesh to play without key players, restrict fans, or delay elections is not realistic.
However, the ICC does not agree with that view. According to ESPNcricinfo, the ICC position has not changed. The schedule is final. All teams are expected to follow the rules of ICC events.
The ICC believes Nazrul misunderstood the report. It says the points mentioned were part of routine planning and hypothetical situations. The ICC also says it never suggested changing team selection, stopping fans from wearing jerseys, or delaying elections.
Later, another government official and the Bangladesh Cricket Board issued clarifications.
“This communication was an internal exchange between the BCB and the ICC Security Department,” the BCB said. “It was not a formal reply to our request to move matches out of India.”
The BCB confirmed it has officially asked the ICC to move Bangladesh matches for security reasons. It also said it is still waiting for a formal response.
Bangladesh are set to play three group matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. The issue grew after the Board of Control for Cricket in India told Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur from their IPL 2026 squad. No official reason was given.
Since then, relations between the two countries have worsened. Nazrul has strongly pushed for moving the matches. After Mustafizur was dropped, the Bangladesh government stopped IPL broadcasts. The BCB also wrote to the ICC saying it would not play World Cup matches in India.
The 2026 T20 World Cup will be co hosted by India and Sri Lanka. The tournament is scheduled to begin on February 7.
