According to a report by Cricbuzz, Bangladesh players, including captain Litton Das, barely had a say in the decisions taken by the BCB in tandem with the country's government regarding non-participation in India. The report states that players were "briefly allowed to speak", but ultimately their consent mattered little in the stance taken by the BCB.

Another twist has been introduced as Bangladesh attempt to stay firm on their decision to not play the T20 World Cup 2026 in India. However, as mentioned earlier, there's likely to be major financial setbacks for the BCB should they decide to forego participating in the tournament, in case they do not get their way. 

The ICC Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) is a body comprising of independent lawyers that attends to issues regarding international cricket and issues that involve the ICC, member boards, players and other related parties, only when all other possible solutions and options have been exhausted.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has written a second letter to the ICC, hours after its 24-hour deadline to reach a final decision expired, as per a report by Times of India. According to the report, the letter from the BCB is a request for the matter of venue change to be referred to the ICC's Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC).

According to a PTI report, Bangladesh could lose around Rs 240 crore of income if they do not participate in the T20 World Cup 2026, as they would miss out on significant sponsorship and broadcast revenue, and prize money. This means they could lose as much as 60 per cent of their annual income just by not participating in the tournament.

Bangladesh's sports adviser Asif Nazrul stated that the players of the Bangladesh cricket team "seemed to understand the situation", following the BCB's decision to persist in its stance of refusing to play the T20 World Cup in India. 

"We met with the players to explain the context and the government's reasoning behind this decision. As this was a privileged communication, the specifics of what the players said will not be disclosed to allow them to speak freely, but they seemed to understand the situation," he said.

"We cannot comment on this developing situation. If the circumstances change, we will issue an official media release on our website," said Charles Paterson, head of communications of Cricket Scotland, to PTI on Thursday. 

This is a marked change from their stance from a week ago, when they had stated that they had not been approached by the ICC, but would be 'ready' if they were to be.

Bangladesh have not communicated an official decision to the ICC, despite being given a 24-hour deadline to do so, according to a report by Cricbuzz. The report further says that internal discussions between government authorities and player representatives likely took place, but no official response was made by the BCB.

This likely leaves the ball in ICC's court.

If terms are to remain as underlined by the ICC prior to their ultimatum, then Bangladesh could well be replaced by Scotland, who are the highest-ranked team to have not qualified for the T20 World Cup. A few days earlier, Scotland had clarified that they had not been approached by the ICC in this regard. However, that could change now. 

As it stands, Bangladesh's 24-hour deadline to make a final decision and inform the ICC has expired.

The saga kickstarted when Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman was asked to be released by the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) from participating in IPL 2026, amid political tension between India and Bangladesh. Mustafizur had been bought by Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for Rs 9.2 crore in the auction. This eventually led to Bangladesh refusing to participate in the T20 World Cup in India, citing safety concerns to its players, staff and fans.

While the ICC declared that there is no credible threat to the safety of the Bangladesh players, staff and fans in India, the BCB remained firm in their decision to not play in India. BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul stated that "shocking calls" were made in the ICC Board Meeting.
"There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur (Rahman) issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision makers in that issue," he said.

Here's a recap of the latest update: The BCB refused to play the T20 World Cup in India despite an ultimatum being set by the ICC, confirming their decision on Thursday after a meeting between its board members, government and players.

"We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we won't play in India. We will keep fighting," said Asif Nazrul, Bangladesh's sports adviser.

Bangladesh's participation at the T20 World Cup 2026 in India is still uncertain. Despite the International Cricket Council (ICC) sending an ultimatum that refusal could see them get replaced, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held firm on its stance. 

Stay tuned for all the live updates as the saga continues to unfold.