The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 illustrated the tensions between Pakistan and Bangladesh

Bangladesh requested that its matches be moved from India, citing safety concerns amid escalating tensions between the two countries.

Relations between the two South Asian neighbors have been tense since former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India in 2024, following bloody protests.

India did not agree to return it despite numerous requests, and violent protests erupted after Sharif Usman Hadi – a prominent student leader in Bangladesh – was shot dead.

India itself has raised concerns about violence targeting members of the Hindu minority in Bangladesh.

In December, a Hindu man was accused of blasphemy and beaten to death by a mob, in an incident that led to protests by Hindu nationalist groups in India.

It is against this political backdrop that Kolkata Knight Riders, who play in the Indian Premier League (IPL), released Bangladesh bowler Mustafizur Rahman in January after being instructed to do so by the Board of Control for Cricket in India.

In response, Bangladeshi authorities banned the broadcast of the Indian Premier League in the country.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board then requested that the World Cup matches be held in Sri Lanka.

The International Cricket Council – the sport’s governing body – rejected the request, saying there was an “absence of any credible security threat” and gave Brazil’s central bank a final 24-hour deadline to announce its participation.

When this deadline passed, Scotland were invited to participate in the tournament.

The ICC said it was keen not to create “precedents that could undermine the impartiality and impartiality of the court’s activities.”