India wanted Bangladesh in T20 World Cup but Pakistan misled them: Rajeev Shukla
India Today
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla accused Pakistan of instigating Bangladesh after it refused to play T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India, leading to ICC rejecting venue changes and Scotland replacing Bangladesh.
BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Friday accused Pakistan of misleading and instigating Bangladesh after the latter refused to play its T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India unless shifted to Colombo, a demand the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected due to scheduling constraints.
Bangladesh were subsequently replaced by Scotland in the tournament after their government declined to send the team to India despite security assurances from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
Speaking to ANI, Shukla said the BCCI had offered complete protection to the Bangladesh team and wanted them to participate in matches hosted in India.
“We wanted them to play. We assured them that complete security would be provided and that there would be no problems whatsoever. They would be given full protection. However, they decided that they wouldn’t play here, saying they couldn’t send their team,” Shukla said.
Bangladesh had earlier requested the ICC to change their venues from India to Sri Lanka following heightened tensions between the two countries and the release of Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League.
However, the ICC declined the request, citing the short notice and the logistical difficulty of altering the tournament schedule so close to the event. Bangladesh maintained their stance and were later replaced by Scotland.
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