Just when cricketing fans were getting excited about the 2026 ICC T20I World Cup, a major demand has come out of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has made it clear that their T20I cricket squad is not comfortable travelling to India due to security reason for their  ICC T20I World Cup slated matches.

Yes, you read that right—Bangladesh may not play any of its scheduled World Cup matches in India.

The whole issue erupted after star pacer Mustafizur Rahman was ruled out of the IPL tournament by the
Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), due to security concerns reportedly playing a major role.

This decision of BCCI didn’t go down well with the BCB, and things heightened further from there. According to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the safety of players, support staff, journalists, and travelling Bangladeshi fans is their top priority.

Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh Government, the Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions.

In light of this decision, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has formally requested the International Cricket Council (ICC), as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)’s statement was announced two hours after Bangladesh’s sports adviser, Asif Nazrul supported the board’s decision of reluctance to travel to India.

“The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided not to send the Bangladesh team to India for the World Cup,” he posted on his official Facebook page. “We welcome this decision taken in the context of the radical communal policies of the Indian cricket board.”

In an official statement, the board has now requested the ICC to move all Bangladesh matches out of India, possibly to Sri Lanka.

A Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) official summed it up straight: “If security can’t be guaranteed for one Bangladeshi player, how can it be guaranteed for an entire team?” Strong words—but ones that show how serious the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is about this entire episode.

What adds more fuel to the fire is that India and Sri Lanka are co-hosting the ICC T20I World Cup 2026, and unlike earlier tournaments, there is no mixed model in place.

If the ICC agrees to Bangladesh’s request, it could open up a whole new set of logistical and scheduling problems. Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has also written to the BCCI, asking for clarification on why Mustafizur was released from the IPL squad after Bangladesh was earlier
requested to make him available for the auction.

Interestingly, this letter doesn’t talk about security—those concerns have been taken straight to the ICC. As of now, the ICC has not made a final decision. For cricket enthusiasts, this situation raises big questions. Will Bangladesh’s matches be shifted entirely to Sri Lanka?

Could this affect the tournament schedule? And most importantly—will the sentiments, arising due to the volatile situation be linked to existing political tensions between India and Bangladesh, with India’s foreign ministry having previously condemned brutality towards Hindu minorities in Bangladesh and will security concerns overshadow the sporting spirit of cricket itself?

With the World Cup just a months away, one thing is without a doubt: the road to the ICC T20I World Cup 2026 is already getting on bumpy road.

India Outclass Sri Lanka To Seal Series 3–0 with a dominant eight-wicket win over Sri Lanka in the third T20I. Winning the toss, India decided to bowl first.

Image Courtesy : BCCI

Sri Lankan openers Hasini Perera and Chamari Athapaththu were looking confident, with Perera taking the lead with aggression, striking two boundaries off Renuka, who returned to the Indian Women XI squad in place of Arundhati Reddy, in the first over.

In the 5th over, bowler Deepti Shrama bowled Athapaththu, who attempted a cross-batted shot and top-edged to mid-on, handing Deepti her first wicket. Renuka turned the strict line and length bowling in her second over, tempting opener Perera to hook one straight to the fielder, Deepti Shrama. Perera bowled for 25 off 18. Renuka also got batter Harshitha Samarawickrama caught and bowled off her final ball delivery.

And from this moment onward, the match swung in favour of India with the continuous fall of Sri Lankan Batters’ wicket.

Image Courtesy : BCCI

Today, Indian women bowlers, Renuka Singh Thakur’s 4-21 and Deepti Sharma’s 3-18, rattled Sri Lanka’s batting lineup, reducing them to a low score of 112/7 in 20 overs.

In the second inning, Indian opener Shafali Verma led the strike with a blazing start, smashing all over the stadium with sixes and boundaries. She, along with Harmanpreet Kaur, lead India to a comfortable victory with 40 balls to spare. Shefali’s 79 not out off 42 balls shows her true grit and glory.

Today, Renuka’s pace bowling with line and length and Deepti’s precision variation were key to India’s dominance over Sri Lankan batters, while Shafali Varma’s daring batting clinched the deal in favour of India.

With this win, India has taken an unshakable 3-0 lead in the five-match T20I series, with two games remaining. Sri Lanka will re-work strategies to challenge India in the remaining matches of the series around, but India, after clinching the series is unflappable and fearless.

The hosts’ next focus will be on finishing the series on a impressive note with a 5-0 win over.

After India won, here are a few comments on the match.

Chamari Athapaththu (Sri Lanka Captain)
“We haven’t played our best cricket, and we’ve struggled with batting consistency. We’ve backed this lineup for six months, but we need to find balance in this format. We’re trusting our youngsters and trying different things with the bowling unit. Dulani and Kavisha showed promise with solid innings, giving us encouraging signs. We’ll keep working on combinations ahead of the World Cup.”

Harmanpreet Kaur (India Captain)
“We had a great series, raising our standards and being aggressive in T20Is with the World Cup near. Really happy with our performance. Our bowlers did a fantastic job, they’re the reason we’re in this position. They’ve been giving us crucial breakthroughs, especially in the powerplay. Renuka’s comeback and four-wicket haul was a game-changer.”

Renuka Singh Thakur (Player of the Match)
“I’m happy with four wickets, but I know I can do better. I’ve had a five-wicket haul before, so I’m working harder to get there again. I focus on variation, especially for T20 cricket and big tournaments. My first over wasn’t great, but I knew I had to bounce back-that’s what bowlers do. The team’s support, especially the captain’s belief in me, keeps me motivated to push harder.”

Image Courtesy : BCCI

Player of the Match :  Renuka Singh Thakur

Match : INDW vs SLW • 3rd T20I • Sri Lanka Women tour of India 2025

Series :  Sri Lanka Women tour of India 2025

Toss :  India Women won the toss and opt to Bowl

Venue :  Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram

Umpires :  Gayathri Venugopalan, N Janani

3rd Umpire :  Vrinda Rathi

Referee :  GS Lakshmi

India Women Team

Players :  Smriti Mandhana, Shafali Verma, Jemimah Rodrigues, Harmanpreet Kaur (Captain), Richa Ghosh (wk), Deepti Sharma, Amanjot Kaur, Vaishnavi Sharma, Kranti Gaud, Renuka Singh Thakur, Shree Charani

Reserve :  G Kamalini, Harleen Deol, Sneh Rana, Arundhati Reddy

Support Staff :  Amol Muzumdar, Aavishkar Salvi, Munish Bali

Sri Lanka Women Team

Players :  Chamari Athapaththu (Captain), Hasini Perera, Harshitha Samarawickrama, Nimesha Madushani, Kavisha Dilhari, Nilakshika Silva, Imesha Dulani, Kaushani Nuthyangana (wk), Malsha Shehani, Inoka Ranaweera, Malki Madara

Reserve : Shashini Gimhani, Kawya Kavindi, Rashmika Sewwandi, Vishmi Gunaratne

Support Staff : Rumesh Ratnayake

Reigning champion India became the first team to announce their 15-member squad for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

The BCCI Men’s Selection Committee under Chief Selector Ajit Agarkar has announced India’s squad for the upcoming five-match IDFC First Bank T20I series against New Zealand slated for January 2026 and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 slated for February 2026, respectively.

India’s squad for T20I series against NZ announced & ICC Men’s T20 World Cup:

Batters : Suryakumar Yadav (Captain), Tilak Varma, Rinku Singh,

All-rounders: Axar Patel (Vice Captain), Abhishek Sharma, Washington Sundar, Hardik Pandya, Shivam Dube, Harshit Rana

Wicket-Keepers : Sanju Samson (WK), Ishan Kishan (WK)

Bowlers : Jasprit Bumrah, Arshdeep Singh, Kuldeep Yadav, Varun Chakaravarthy

India Team Squad. Image Courtesy : JIOHotStar

The announcement was followed by a press conference at the BCCI HQ.

When asked about the inclusion of two wicket-keepers, the chief selector, Ajit Agarkar has made it clear today that India will be playing a wicket-keeper as one of its openers.

Considerably, Sanju Samson will likely be positioned at the top of the order, while Ishan Kishan, who last played for India in 2023, has earned a comeback to the World Cup national squad as the reserve top-order batter after almost two years, thanks to his domestic form.

He recently finished as the top run scorer at the 2025 Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy with 517 runs, averaging nearly two a ball, guiding Jharkhand state to their maiden SMAT title.

Shubman Gill’s 28-ball 47- run score against Pakistan at the 2025 Asia Cup, which marked his return to the T20I side, remains a rare standout in an otherwise inconsistent run. Hence, Gill has been dropped from the India squad for the upcoming T20 World Cup.

Axar Patel takes over his position as vice-captain.

One man who will be overjoyed and surprised is Rinku Singh, who makes a comeback to the squad.

When asked about the selection of Rinku Singh, the selector said that “the left-hander has been in fantastic domestic form and put his opportunities in the India team to good use as well.” He will likely be competing with Washington Sundar in strengthening a spot in the lower-order batting lineups.

Ahead of the forthcoming T20 World Cup, India Vs NZ T20I schedule :

1st T20I: January 21, 2026, at Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium, Nagpur (7:00 PM IST).

2nd T20I: January 23, 2026, at Shaheed Veer Narayan Singh International Stadium, Raipur (7:00 PM IST).

3rd T20I: January 25, 2026, at Barsapara Cricket Stadium, Guwahati (7:00 PM IST).

4th T20I: January 28, 2026, at Dr. Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium, Visakhapatnam (7:00 PM IST).

5th T20I: January 31, 2026, at Greenfield International Stadium, Thiruvananthapuram (7:00 PM IST).

Details of the 2026 T20 World Cup:

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 will be the 10th edition of the world cricket T20 tournament. The upcoming World Cup will feature top 20 international teams. These teams have been Split into four groups of five teams each for the group-stage internal competition.

India has been placed in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2026, alongside Pakistan, the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia.

The group are expected to have high-intensity clashes, especially the much-hyped India vs. Pakistan match, which is always one of the most viewed clashes between India and Pakistan in world cricket.

In Group A, to regain its crown, the reigning champion Indian cricket team’s T20 World Cup 2026 schedule is :

• India vs USA : February 7, 2026 at Wankhede Stadium (Mumbai)
• India vs Namibia : February 12, 2026 at Arun Jaitley Stadium (Delhi)
• India vs Pakistan : February 15, 2026 at R. Premadasa Stadium (Colombo)
• India vs Netherlands : February 18, 2026 at Narendra Modi Stadium (Ahmedabad)

The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 final is staged for March 8, with Ahmedabad set to host unless Pakistan qualifies, in which case Colombo will stage the final title match.

The tournament is expected to attract a whopping global viewership, especially from India, Australia, New Zealand, England, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, the Gulf, and the Africa region, as well as the USA, with fans eagerly awaiting to watch every stage from the group matches to the grand finale.