Bangladesh lift T20 World Cup boycott; BCB ready to clear issues with BCCI

Aminul Islam in the left with Jay Shah and Mithun Minhas in the right [Source: X]

After a major reconciliation between the International Cricket Council and the Pakistan Cricket Board regarding the February 15 IND vs PAK boycott, the Bangladesh Cricket Board is now looking to mend ties with the Indian cricket body during the T20 World Cup 2026.

As per a recent report, the BCB is aiming to clear issues with the Board of Control for Cricket in India during the India-Pakistan match scheduled for February 15 in Colombo.

With an air of sports diplomacy and sensibility on the line, Bangladesh's move is being seen as one that denounces the earlier notion of complicated hostility and reluctance to visit Indian venues or play against India in particular due to anti-religious sentiments.

Bangladesh to make amends with BCCI after Pakistan lifts boycott

Bangladesh's move may have emerged after Pakistan resolved matters with the ICC by agreeing to play the February 15 clash against India after initially boycotting it on February 1.

After weeks of complicated exchanges on social media as well as through official press releases, the Pakistan government and the PCB were struggling to reach a conclusion.

However, the intervention of Bangladesh Cricket Board President Aminul Islam Bulbul acted as a catalyst between the PCB and ICC, which eventually helped in the reconciliation of the high-stakes event that might otherwise not have taken place in Colombo.

Notably, there was $174 million at stake if the India-Pakistan match had fallen through. With the situation looking uncertain, it was Aminul Islam’s intervention that mediated the tripartite meeting and urged Pakistan to lift their boycott, agree to the ICC’s terms and conditions, and play against India.

This was a significant development, and making it the epicentre of further progress, the Bangladesh Cricket Board has now decided to reconcile with the BCCI.

Cricket boards alongside BCB and PCB to sign MoU

Reportedly, Aminul Islam Bulbul, the President of the BCB, will be present during the India vs Pakistan match in Colombo and is expected to hold talks with BCCI President Mithun Mahanas in presence of the apex cricket body.

"The ICC has taken a decision. The major stakeholders of the ICC are these five Asian countries (India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Afghanistan) and for the India-Pakistan match on the 15th in the World Cup, they want representatives of all five Asian countries to be present at the ground together, watch the match together and talk to one another," Aminul was quoted in Prothom Alo on Wednesday.

"You can consider it as something like that (an ice breaker between us). We will also enter into an agreement. The agreement will be line by line, an MoU-type [Memorandum of Understanding] document, so that there is no uncertainty.

Similar discussions (regarding preparing the MoU) with the ICC are more or less finalised," confirmed Aminul.

While the report from Cricbuzz is yet to be officially confirmed, Bangladesh's move to reconcile with India could help them step away from what might have become potential isolation on the global cricket stage.

The Bangladesh ouster in the T20 World Cup 2026

For the unaware, Bangladesh were ousted from the T20 World Cup 2026 after the board cited security concerns for their players playing in India. They had requested the ICC to shift their venues to Sri Lanka; however, the request was denied due to logistical complications.

Scotland subsequently replaced Bangladesh after their government refused to allow the team to play matches in India. This situation created turmoil and strained relations between Bangladesh and India.

However, the possible February 15 meeting could mark a significant step forward in restoring sports diplomacy and goodwill.