Status quo on Bangladesh's World Cup fixtures

It is status quo for now as the International Cricket Council (ICC) seems to have received no tangible or actionable inputs on any security threat to the Bangladesh team, an issue the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) highlighted in its recent letter to the world body, requesting the relocation of their T20 World Cup games out of India.

During an online meeting between ICC authorities and BCB officials on Tuesday (January 6), the safety and security of Bangladesh team was discussed, and BCB representatives were told that the ICC has no assessment indicating any threat to their players in India.

Following an emergency meeting on January 4, the BCB had formally requested the ICC to consider relocating all of Bangladesh's matches to a venue outside India to "safeguard the safety and well-being of Bangladeshi players, team officials, Board members and other stakeholders, and to ensure that the team can participate in the tournament in a secure and appropriate environment."

It is learnt that the ICC's view does not appear to align with the BCB's position as of now. While no final decision was taken on the BCB request during Tuesday's meeting, there are no immediate signs of the ICC revising its stance. The ICC's final decision is expected to be conveyed to the BCB in the coming days, no later than January 10.

Bangladesh are scheduled to play three Group C matches in Kolkata - against West Indies on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 - before facing Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.

Mustafizur set to play in the PSL

The January 4 letter is largely seen as a pushback by the BCB to the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) decision to have their pacer, Mustafizur Rahman, expelled from the IPL 2026. The BCCI had instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release the pacer, a directive the franchise immediately and promptly complied with.

As a further counter, the BCB also banned the broadcast of the IPL in their country. Meanwhile, it emerged on Tuesday that Mustafizur has joined the Pakistan Super League (PSL), a development the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has indicated.