Following Bangladesh's request to shift its T20 World Cup matches outside of India, Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) secretary Devajit Saikia addressed the matter, stating that it is not within the BCCI's purview to make a decision on the issue. Saikia made these comments after a meeting held on Friday, January 9, 2026, where the BCCI top brass reviewed operations at its Centre of Excellence (CoE) in Bengaluru and discussed streamlining India U-19 and India A tours.

Bangladesh's request to the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move its T20 World Cup games stemmed from the BCCI's instruction to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Mustafizur Rahman from its roster. Tensions between the two countries have seemingly risen, influencing the decision to pull Rahman from the IPL.

Saikia clarified that the decision regarding Bangladesh's participation in the T20 World Cup rests with the ICC. "The meeting was about CoE and other cricketing matters. It's not our domain to talk about that (as the ICC has the final say on Bangladesh's participation in the T20 World Cup)," Saikia told PTI.

The meeting in Mumbai saw the attendance of key figures, including BCCI president Mithun Manhas, vice-president Rajeev Shukla, and head of cricket at CoE VVS Laxman. Discussions also revolved around key technical posts that remain vacant at the CoE, which became fully operational in April of the previous year. These positions include head of education and head of sports science. Saikia acknowledged the shortage of technical personnel worldwide and affirmed the board's commitment to filling these positions at the earliest. "We assessed the vacancies at CoE and decided to go ahead with the recruitment process soon," said Saikia. "There is an acute shortage of technical personnel worldwide, but we are trying to fill the positions at the earliest".

The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, commencing on February 7, 2026. Bangladesh is slated to play its four group matches in India.

Earlier reports indicated that Bangladesh would formally request the ICC to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka, citing concerns about the safety and security of their players. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had expressed that the decision to consider not playing in India was based on advice from their government and growing concerns.

Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, stated that Bangladesh would not accept any perceived insult to their cricket, cricketers, or the country. He further suggested blocking the broadcasting of the IPL in Bangladesh.

However, recent reports suggest that the ICC has rejected Bangladesh's request to shift their matches outside of India. The ICC has reportedly informed the BCB that the team must travel to India to play their T20 World Cup matches or risk forfeiting points.