Sri Lanka Breaks Silence On ICC-Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026 Row

The Bangladesh vs International Cricket Council (ICC) T20 World Cup row continued for over three weeks before the apex cricket board gave its final verdict on the issue. Bangladesh had requested the board to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India. They were set to play four matches in Kolkata and Mumbai in the initial stage of the tournament. Bangladesh wanted their games to be moved to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns in India. This request had arrived in the wake of Mustafizur Rahman's exit from the Indian Premier League.

While the ICC rejected Bangladesh's request, it gave the side a 24-hour deadline to make a final decision. As Bangladesh stayed firm on its stance, the apex cricket board eliminated the side and replaced it with Scotland, the top-ranked nation among those failed to qualify for the tournament.

Several reports are suggesting that Pakistan may also boycott the event in solidarity with Bangladesh or decide not to play their matches against India.

While so much drama is taking place all around, Sri Lanka stayed silent for a long time. Given they are the co-hosts of the tournament alongside India, there was a lot of attention on their reticence. The country has finally spoken up on the issue.

Cricket Secretary Bandula Dissanayake told AFP that Colombo wanted to avoid being drawn into regional disputes. "In these disputes among India, Pakistan and Bangladesh, we are remaining neutral; all of these are friendly nations," he said.

The official, however, added that Sri Lanka would be willing to host future tournaments for any of the countries if asked.

Notably, Pakistan and India now play their matches at neutral venues due to deteriorating political tensions. As a result, Pakistan will be playing their T20 World Cup 2026 games in Sri Lanka, including the one against India.

Sri Lanka has given the "highest priority" to ensuring the tournament runs smoothly and is "paying special attention to the India-Pakistan matches", sports minister Sunil Kumara Gamage told the news agency.

T20 World Cup 2026 kicks off on February 7, with the final set to be played on March 8.

Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket Sri Lanka Cricket Team Bangladesh Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team India Cricket Team T20 World Cup 2026 International Cricket Council Bangladesh Cricket Board