The much-anticipated India tour of Bangladesh, originally scheduled for August, is effectively off — for now. While neither cricket board has issued an official statement, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has quietly shelved preparations for the white-ball series, which was to feature three ODIs and three T20Is between 17 and 31 August.
The first tangible sign of postponement came with the suspension of the BCB’s media rights sale. Technical bidding for a new two-year media cycle (July 2025–June 2027) was set to begin on 7 July, with financial bidding to follow on 10 July. That process has now been paused. Instead, the BCB has shifted its focus to selling rights only for the Pakistan series later this month.
“We will continue, we will take time to research the market. There is no point in rushing things,” a BCB official told *Cricbuzz* in Dhaka. The board has reportedly decided to delay long-term deals and offer segmented contracts instead.
An Indian broadcaster confirmed that no Invitation to Tender (ITT) had been issued for the India series, despite an earlier announcement. “They have informed us that there is no India series… they are selling, for now, only for the Pakistan series,” the broadcaster said. The ITT, originally available between 15 June and 6 July for a USD 3,000 fee, has been held back.
The BCB remains hopeful of rescheduling the lucrative India series at a later date. However, scheduling complications and regional tensions have clouded the immediate future.
“The date for the India series hasn’t been fixed yet. They \[the BCCI] said it’s difficult for them to come in August. This is part of the FTP,” the BCB official said.
Sources suggest the Indian government may have advised the BCCI to avoid the tour amid increasingly strained diplomatic relations between the two neighbours. A top BCCI official said a decision is expected within a week, with a joint statement from both boards likely if the series is officially postponed or cancelled.
The political backdrop to the cricketing uncertainty became more apparent when it was reported that India had granted travel permission to Pakistan’s hockey team for the Asia Cup, to be held in Rajgir, Bihar from 29 August to 7 September. This has reinforced the view that bilateral engagements with “unfriendly neighbours” — namely Pakistan and Bangladesh — are being discouraged, even if multilateral tournaments are still being permitted.
Against this uncertainty, the BCB continues to recalibrate its media rights approach. It originally offered rights in three bundles: satellite TV (worldwide), digital OTT (worldwide), and DTH (Bangladesh only). This was later revised to allow bidders more flexibility, including territory-wise or global bundle options.
Bangladesh are scheduled to host 49 home internationals before May 2027, including eight Tests, 20 ODIs, and 21 T20Is. For now, the focus is on salvaging the Pakistan series set to run from 17 to 25 July, before finalising the remainder of the broadcasting cycle.
As for the India series — its future remains uncertain.
