ICC sources rejected Bangladesh’s claim of a security warning over Mustafizur Rahman and confirmed that the overall risk for the T20 World Cup 2026 in India is low.
The International Cricket Council has reportedly dismissed claims that Bangladesh faces a security concern at the 2026 T20 World Cup in India due to Mustafizur Rahman’s selection. The clarification follows statements from Bangladesh officials suggesting an ICC warning influenced their request to avoid playing in India.
ICC has stated that its independent security assessments do not flag any specific threat to Bangladesh players, officials, or venues. The overall risk level for the tournament in India has been rated low to moderate, similar to other major international events.
Bangladesh earlier sought a venue change after Mustafizur was released from the IPL on BCCI instructions, citing broader developments. The ICC has reiterated that security reviews are routine and focus on preparedness, not team selection decisions.
“The ICC is aware of public comments made in recent days concerning the participation of Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, including selective references to the ICC’s security risk assessment. It is important to clarify that the ICC’s independent risk assessments, carried out by internationally recognised security experts, do not conclude that Bangladesh cannot play its scheduled matches in India. The overall security risk for the tournament in India has been assessed as low to moderate, which is consistent with the profile of many major global sporting events,” ICC sources told News18.
“The assessments did not identify any specific or direct threat to the Bangladesh team, team officials, or match venues in India. Based on the professional advice received, the risk associated with Bangladesh’s scheduled fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai is assessed as low to moderate, with no indication of risks that cannot be effectively managed through established security planning and mitigation measures,” they continued.
The ICC also confirmed full confidence in the security plans prepared with Indian authorities and sees no reason to alter the existing schedule.
“Some media reports have misinterpreted contingency planning as being actual risk, rather than conclusions or determinations. Such scenario planning is routine in order to ensure preparedness and consider all eventualities however remote. As is standard practice in professional security assessments, a broad range of hypothetical scenarios is considered to ensure preparedness. These scenarios are not statements of fact, instructions, or expectations, nor do they represent conditions set by the ICC regarding team selection, supporter behaviour, or domestic political processes,” the source said.
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“The ICC wishes to be clear that it has never suggested, nor would it suggest, that any team should select or exclude players for security reasons, that supporters should be restricted from wearing national colours, or that domestic democratic processes be altered in order to participate in an ICC event. The ICC has full confidence in the security arrangements being developed in close collaboration with the BCCI and relevant local authorities, who have a strong and proven track record of safely delivering major international sporting events,” they added.
The tournament begins on February 7, with Bangladesh scheduled to play matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.
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