‘Players not safe’: Bangladesh urges ICC to shift T20 WC games from India to Sri Lanka

In a dramatic escalation following Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman’s removal from the Indian Premier League, the Bangladesh government has instructed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to seek a shift of the country’s T20 World Cup league matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing concerns over player safety.

Government adviser Asif Nazrul, who oversees the Ministry of Sports, said he has directed the BCB to formally approach the International Cricket Council (ICC), headed by Jay Shah, to relocate Bangladesh’s four league fixtures scheduled in Kolkata and Mumbai to Sri Lanka.

“As the adviser in charge of the Ministry of Sports, I have instructed the Cricket Board to put everything in writing before the ICC,” Nazrul wrote in a Facebook post in Bengali. “If a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being under contract, how can the national team feel safe travelling there for the World Cup?”

The controversy erupted after IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), co-owned by Shah Rukh Khan, released Mustafizur Rahman—who had been bought for ₹9.20 crore at the Abu Dhabi auction—following what sources described as a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). The Indian board has not officially cited politics but said the decision was influenced by “recent developments.”

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Bangladesh is scheduled to play West Indies, Italy, and England in Kolkata, before facing Nepal in Mumbai. However, a senior BCCI source dismissed the possibility of any change, calling it a “logistical nightmare” with less than a month left for the tournament. “Flights, hotels, broadcast crews—everything is already locked. You can’t shift games on a whim,” the source said.

The standoff comes amid worsening political ties between India and Bangladesh after the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India last year following mass protests. Hasina was later sentenced to death in absentia by a tribunal in Dhaka. Tensions deepened despite Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar attending the funeral of opposition leader Khaleda Zia.

Adding another layer to the row, Nazrul said he has also asked Bangladesh’s Information and Broadcasting Ministry to suspend IPL broadcasts in the country. “Under no circumstances will we tolerate any insult to Bangladeshi cricket or cricketers. The days of servitude are over,” he said.

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul declined to comment publicly, while board sources said no official communication has yet been received from the BCCI regarding Mustafizur’s release. Until then, Bangladesh’s next move—and whether the ICC entertains the demand to shift matches to Sri Lanka—remains uncertain.