Bangladesh Receive 'T20 World Cup Revenue' Warning Amid Ongoing Controversy
Syed Ashraful Haque, who also served as CEO of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), weighed in on Bangladesh's decision to not travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.
- Bangladesh requested ICC to move their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns
- Former BCB secretary Syed Ashraful Haque said India can provide head-of-state level security for Bangladesh
- "If ICC refuses relocation and Bangladesh opt out, the board will not receive its share of revenue," he added
Former Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) general secretary Syed Ashraful Haque, who also served as CEO of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC), weighed in on Bangladesh's decision to not travel to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Bangladesh cited 'security concerns' as they requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka. The request came just after IPL side Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman following the request from BCCI. Haque explained that Indian government can assure 'head-of-state' level security for the Bangladesh cricketers and in that case, the ball will once again be in Bangladesh's court.
He added that if Bangladesh stick to their stance of not travelling to India and decided to opt out of the World Cup, they will miss out on the revenue share and may also get into a conflict with BCCI.
"In this case, I believe the Indian government will say that they will provide 'head-of-state' level security for Bangladesh. Then the ball will come again to our court. Then we will decide whether we will travel or not," Ashraful told The Daily Star.
"Based on my experience, with only one month remaining before the tournament, relocating venues is an extremely uphill task. Moreover, if Bangladesh does not play -- or if the ICC refuses relocation and Bangladesh opt out -- the board is unlikely to receive its share of World Cup revenue. This could also lead to direct conflict with the BCCI," he explained.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh banned the broadcast of IPL's upcoming season to protest pacer Mustafizur Rahman's ouster from the world's biggest T20 league on BCCI instructions amid a steady deterioration of the country's diplomatic ties with India.
A statement from the information and broadcast ministry of Muhammad Yunus' interim government here stated that no "logical reason" was given by the BCCI while instructing IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to release Rahman from its 2026 roster.
The IPL is due to start on March 26.
(With PTI inputs)
Bangladesh Cricket Team
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