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The Bangladesh Cricket Board is desperately writing letters to the International Cricket Council urging a shuffle in the venues they are scheduled at in the 2026 T20 World Cup. Recently, BCB has taken a unique step to request ICC to change their venue—the board wrote to swap their group with Ireland.

Notably, Bangladesh is in group B, along with the West Indies, Italy and England. Meanwhile Ireland has been slated in Group C with Sri Lanka, Australia and Oman, who will play their matches in Colombo. As per reports, Bangladesh has officially requested to the ICC to interchange their group with Ireland. An official statement was released, which said,

“The BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The Board also shared the Bangladesh Government’s views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders."

It added,

“The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed."

ICC turns down offer shortly

Within hours of receiving the letter from BCCI,  ICC immediately turned down the order. A source from Cricket Ireland informed Cricbuzz that the ICC has assured them to stick to the previous schedule. Cricbuzz quoted the sourche saying,

“We’ve received definitive assurances that we won’t move from the original schedule. We’re definitely playing the Group Stage in Sri Lanka."

Read also: T20 World Cup 2026: Bangladesh Denies Visa to Indian-Origin ICC Envoy

The chaos started when Bangladesh's ego was hurt after BCCI released Mustafizur Rhamna from the IPL 2026. Kolkata Knight Rider got him for over INR 9 crore. However, with an increasing protest roar in the country against the Hindu lynching activities in Bangladesh, BBCI requested KKR to release the pacer.

Following that, the Bangladesh Cricket Board announced a ban on the IPL in the country and also wrote to the ICC to not travel to India for the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. Bangladesh's primary raised concern was security, given that fans might be mobbed for wearing the Bangladesh jersey.

Previously, ICC reportedly threatened Bangladesh with match points if they did not play in India. later, the council diminished BCB's security claims, saying there are low to no risks in India. 

Following that, internal chaos erupted. Former captain Tamin Iqbal asked BCB to be cautious on their approach towards BCCI. This landed him the "India agent" comment from former BCB director and Finance Committee Chairman, M. Najmul Islam- a comment that did not go well with other players

Islam had to resign within a few days—after players boycotted the board's match, following a controversial comment.