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T20 World Cup 2026: Bangladesh Refuses to Play in India, ICC Faces Venue Relocation Crisis
Bangladesh T20 World Cup venue dispute: Amid the ongoing controversy over the venue for the 2026 T20 World Cup, Bangladesh has denied a visa to a senior Indian-origin official. This official was part of the ICC delegation that arrived in Dhaka to resolve the issue of India's refusal to play in India.
With only three weeks to go before the onset of the 2026 T20 World Cup, the issue of Bangladesh's insistence on a venue change is still making waves. Bangladesh is keen on shifting the venue for the matches following the exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL. The International Cricket Council (ICC) insists that there is no issue with the safety of cricketers in India. Delegates from the ICC have landed in Dhaka to settle the issue of Bangladesh's reluctance to play in India, but this has also caused another controversy.
A senior official of the ICC of Indian origin had been part of the team of representatives sent to Bangladesh, but couldn’t make it as he lacked a visa from Bangladesh. This has meant that Andrew Ephgrave has had to travel alone to Bangladesh. Ephgrave is the ICC's Head of Anti-Corruption and Security.
Ephgrave now has the sole responsibility of negotiating with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the country's Sports Ministry. The situation is difficult, as the tournament begins on February 7th. Meanwhile, Bangladesh has made it clear that they will not cross the border to play their four group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. They are demanding that the team play the T20 World Cup 2026 only in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting with India.
