Bangladesh To Suffer Stunning Financial Loss Due To T20 World Cup Row: Report

Bangladesh made it clear that they will not be travelling to India for the T20 World Cup 2026 and it can mean that they will be replaced by Scotland in the competition. Bangladesh requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka citing 'security concerns'. However, the ICC made it clear that no changes will be made to World Cup schedule and because of Bangladesh's stance, it is most likely that they will not take part in the competition. Besides the cricketing setback, missing the T20 World Cup will also result in massive financial setback for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and some reports claimed that it can amount to almost 60 per cent of their annual income.

According to PTI, Bangladesh are set to lose 27 million dollars or Rs 240 crore if they do not play in the T20 World Cup. The loss of broadcast revenue, sponsorship revenue and income for the financial year from the decision can ultimately mean that they will lose around 60 percent of their annual income.

Bangladesh were given time till Thursday to make their decision. Scotland are next in line based on team rankings for the tournament starting February 7.

However, taking a hard-line position, Bangladesh's sports advisor Asif Nazrul, after a meeting with national team players, announced that the ICC's assessment was not acceptable to them.

It is still not clear whether ICC has intimated Cricket Scotland as their CEO Trudy Lindblade didn't offer any comments.

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

"While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis...," Nazrul said in a press conference while declaring that the country won't play in India.

"...we are not convinced that they can ensure the safety of our entire team, journalists, and spectators.

"We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka," he added.

Bangladesh are due to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai). The country raised security concerns after pacer Mustafizur Rahman was ousted from the IPL on BCCI's instructions for unspecified "developments all around."

"It is crucial to weigh the loss of not playing against the potential catastrophe of pushing players, fans, and journalists into a risky regional political situation. This is a government decision, as the state is responsible for determining whether its citizens face security risks abroad," Nazrul asserted.

(With PTI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

Bangladesh Cricket Team International Cricket Council BCCI Bangladesh Cricket Board T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket