'The ball is in their court': Indian govt's stance on Bangladesh refusing to come for T20 World Cup, reveals report

The Indian government has made it clear that the decision on participating in the 2026 T20 World Cup in India lies entirely with Bangladesh. This comes after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said it is unsure about sending a team to India for the marquee ICC event due to security concerns.

According to a report by The Times of India, the government is in regular touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and is closely monitoring the situation on a daily basis. However, sources told TOI that India will only respond once Bangladesh takes a final and official stand.

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The report added that the Indian government will follow its sports policy, which is in line with the Olympic Charter, and will welcome all participating nations in a multilateral event like the T20 World Cup. From India’s side, there is no restriction or hesitation in hosting Bangladesh for the tournament.

"Once their govt makes the stand clear or takes a final decision, only then will Indian authorities react. The ball is in their court whether they want to come or not. The decision is entirely theirs,” TOI quoted sources as saying.

"The situation is different with Pakistan. There is a specific sports policy for them. India will not engage in any bilateral sports with Pakistan anywhere in the world. Nor will teams across sporting disciplines travel to each other's nations for one-on-one events. The BCCI and Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have their own understanding of playing at neutral venues even in multilateral sports events,” sources explained.

What's the controversy?

The situation has been tense in recent weeks following a series of developments involving Bangladesh cricket. The controversy began after Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released from IPL 2026, which triggered strong reactions. The Bangladesh government went on to ban the broadcast of the IPL.

Following this, the BCB raised security concerns about travelling to India for the T20 World Cup and wrote to the ICC requesting that Bangladesh’s matches be moved to Sri Lanka. While reports claimed the ICC warned Bangladesh about forfeiting points if they refused to play in India, the BCB later denied receiving any such threat.

The BCB reportedly wrote a second letter to the ICC on Thursday, explaining the security concerns in detail.