The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 situation has now turned serious, and all attention is on the International Cricket Council chairman Jay Shah as Bangladesh continues to refuse to play their matches in India. While many expected public reactions, Jay Shah has stayed completely silent in front of the media and is handling the matter quietly but firmly.
Jay Shah calls an emergency meeting on the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 as Bangladesh seeks a Sri Lanka move
With the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 just weeks away, a major scheduling crisis has prompted Jay Shah to call an emergency meeting with top BCCI officials in Vadodara on Sunday (January 11).
The ICC chairman called the urgent meeting after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) formally and repeatedly requested to relocate its entire T20 World Cup group stage matches from India to co-host Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.
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As reported by NDTV, Shah will sit with top BCCI officials on Sunday in Vadodara, where the first ODI between India and New Zealand will be played on the same day, to deal with the growing problem. The ICC chairman is already in the city as a special guest of the Baroda Cricket Association (BCA).
The Core of the Controversy: Bangladesh’s Firm Stance
All the drama began after Mustafizur Rahman’s abrupt ouster from the IPL 2026 by the KKR on the BCCI’s order after violence against Hindu minorities in Bangladesh intensified. Firstly, Bangladesh banned IPL in the country for an indefinite period and then demanded their T20 World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.
Now, the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request slowly turned into a sensitive and tense issue. In its first message to the ICC, the BCB asked for its ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches to be moved out of India. Sri Lanka was suggested as an alternative venue. In the second letter sent to the ICC, the BCB made the situation much more serious.
They asked for personal security for each and every member of their World Cup group if coming to India could not be avoided. This included players, coaches, support staff, and officials. The BCB made it clear that the issue was no longer only about safety but also about respect and dignity.
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No Reply, No Change: BCB digs in as ICC silence continues
Recently, the Bangladesh Cricket Board president, Aminul Islam Bulbul, said that the board has still not received any reply from the ICC. He confirmed that Bangladesh has already sent all documents and supporting material explaining their concerns, but no response has come yet.
Bulbul said, as quoted by News18, “We haven’t yet received any reply from the ICC. We have sent all the attachments and proofs of our concern. Any alternate Indian venue at the end of the day is an Indian venue. You all know that no unilateral decision can be taken, and we have to abide by the government’s diktat. We are standing where we had been a few days back.”
As per the current schedule, Bangladesh is supposed to play three group matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. There have been reports about Hyderabad and Chennai being considered as replacement venues, but the BCB president said that he has no information about this and this will not change their stance.
The BCB boss added, “I can’t comment on what we will do if we aren’t allowed to play in Sri Lanka unless the ICC sends its response. I haven’t heard about Hyderabad and Chennai being replacement venues. We might come to know maybe on Monday or Tuesday.”
