Bangladesh will not participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup in India after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected their request to move their matches to Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has been claiming that the current situation is not suitable for their team, officials, or fans to travel to India for the tournament. The T20 World Cup is set to commence on February 7.

The ICC has reportedly informed the BCB that if they do not agree to send their team to India, they will be replaced by Scotland. According to the original schedule, Bangladesh's matches are scheduled to take place in Kolkata and Mumbai. They were slated to play three matches in Kolkata against England, West Indies, and Italy, and one match in Mumbai against Nepal.

The decision to uphold the original schedule was made after an ICC Board meeting, convened via video conference, to discuss the BCB's request to move their matches to Sri Lanka. The ICC stated that all security assessments, including independent reviews, indicated no threat to Bangladesh players, media, officials, and fans at any of the Indian venues. The board concluded that altering the schedule so close to the tournament, without a credible security threat, would set a precedent that could jeopardize future ICC events and undermine its neutrality.

The ICC management had engaged in multiple correspondences and meetings with the BCB, providing detailed information on the event security plan, including layered federal and state law-enforcement support. However, the BCB remained firm in its stance.

Reports suggest that the BCB's firm stance follows the Board of Control for Cricket in India's (BCCI) instruction to IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman, who had been acquired in the auction last month, citing 'recent developments'.

Aminul Islam Bulbul, the BCB president, questioned the conduct of the ICC Board meeting and stated, "We want to play the World Cup, but we won't play in India". He further added, "There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision makers in that issue". Islam also expressed concern about the state of world cricket, stating that the ICC's decision has locked away 200 million people and that the popularity of cricket is declining.

Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh's sports advisor, expressed hope that the ICC would provide justice by allowing them to play in Sri Lanka. However, with the ICC's firm decision and the BCB's unwavering stance, Bangladesh's participation in the T20 World Cup in India appears to be over. The ICC had given the BCB a deadline to confirm their participation or forfeit their place in the tournament. With Bangladesh's exit now confirmed, Scotland is expected to replace them in the tournament.

The ICC Board reportedly voted 14-2 against Bangladesh's demands, with Pakistan and Bangladesh presumed to be the two dissenting votes. The meeting was attended by directors of all Full Member countries, including BCB president Aminul Islam, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, and representatives from other cricket boards.