New Delhi: A desperate Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has made a final attempt to overturn the International Cricket Council’s refusal to relocate its T20 World Cup matches, filing an appeal with the governing body’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) even as legal experts say the body lacks the authority to hear the case.

The BCB, led by Aminul Islam Bulbul, turned to the independent arbitration panel as a last resort after the ICC Board of Directors voted 14-2 to keep Bangladesh's group-stage matches in India. The ICC has already placed Scotland on standby to replace Bangladesh in the tournament, which begins February 7.

"Yes, BCB has approached the DRC of ICC as it wants to exhaust all its options. If DRC rules against BCB, then the only body that can be approached is the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland," a BCB source said on condition of anonymity.

The standoff was triggered by the Bangladesh government’s refusal to permit the team to travel to India, citing security concerns. Sports adviser Asif Nazrul, a vocal critic of the Indian cricket board, cited the recent removal of pacer Mustafizur Rahman from his IPL team as evidence that India cannot guarantee the safety of Bangladeshi citizens.

However, the DRC, headed by British barrister Michael Beloff, is unlikely to provide the "miracle" the BCB is seeking. Under the ICC's own constitution, the committee is prohibited from acting as an appellate body for decisions made by the Board of Directors.

As per clause 1.3 of the DRC's Terms of Reference: "The Committee shall not operate as an appeal body against decisions of the ICC or any decision-making body established under the ICC's Memorandum and Articles of Association..."

An ICC source confirmed the jurisdictional hurdle: "Bangladesh can approach the DRC, but if one looks at the rules, the case can't even be heard as the committee doesn't have the remit to hear an appeal which is against the decision made by the Board of Directors."

The ICC’s leadership is reportedly incensed by the BCB’s handling of the crisis. Officials in Dubai expressed anger that the board held public press conferences with government officials before formalising their stance with the global body. ICC Chairman Jay Shah is expected to announce a final decision regarding Scotland’s inclusion by Saturday.

The DRC, which operates under English law, has a history of strictly following constitutional boundaries. In 2018, the committee famously rejected a $70 million compensation claim from Pakistan against India, ruling that a memorandum of understanding between the two nations was not a legally binding contract.

The 11-member committee includes several high-ranking international legal experts and independent lawyers from South Africa, Asia, and Europe, but its primary function remains auditing whether the ICC followed its own internal laws rather than reconsidering the merits of security assessments.

With inputs from PTI