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The International Cricket Council (ICC) is in talks with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to resolve Bangladesh's refusal to play its 2026 T20 World Cup matches in India, citing security concerns amid strained India-Bangladesh relations.
According to ESPNcricinfo, the ICC is likely to request that Bangladesh reconsider its decision to withdraw from the T20 World Cup matches in India and play their group matches as per the existing schedule. This follows BCB's formal request to the ICC to relocate the 2026 Men's T20 World Cup matches from India to alternative venues, citing safety and security concerns. This development follows the announcement by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) that they had removed Bangladeshi player Muztafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 roster in response to a directive from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) regarding atrocities committed against minorities in Bangladesh. KKR's decision followed BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia's statement that the apex cricket board had instructed the IPL franchise to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman "due to the recent developments". "Due to the recent developments which is going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement," Devaijit Saikia had told ANI on Saturday. Mustafizur was selected by KKR for the IPL 2026 season in the mini auction last year. The three-time champions bagged the left-arm seamer for Rs 9.20 crore. The 2026 T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka begins on February 7 and concludes on March 8, with Bangladesh scheduled to play their first three Group C games in Kolkata: February 7 (vs West Indies), February 9 (vs Italy), and February 14 (vs England) and their final group game against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.(ANI)
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