BCCI All But Flags India Tour Of Bangladesh 2026, Afghanistan To Be Ditched

India set to tour Bangladesh in September [Source: AFP]

September 2026 was set to witness India vs Afghanistan in a riveting three-match T20I series, but it seems the BCCI could push the series back to accommodate another important series against an Asian side. Last year, India was supposed to travel to Bangladesh for a white-ball campaign, but due to geopolitical differences, the tour was postponed.

India was set to take on Afghanistan starting from September 13 at the Arun Jaitley Stadium, Delhi, but it seems that the tour has to wait as India will take on their Asian rivals, Bangladesh.

India vs Afghanistan pushed back to accommodate Bangladesh series

In the latest development, the Times of India has reported that India’s tour of Bangladesh is nearing approval, and to incorporate the matches, the India vs Afghanistan T20I games will be pushed back.

Internally, the discussions are going around to push the start of the Afghanistan matches from September 17, which would allow Team India enough window to have a short Bangladesh tour, right after the gruelling Sri Lanka series.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board is also keen to have the six-game white-ball series in September, with the two sides colliding in three T20Is and an equal number of ODI matches.

Earlier this week, the BCB also put its media rights up for sale, and this was done immediately after India resumed issuing tourist visas to Bangladeshi citizens nearly two years after the process was suspended.

BCB hopeful of India's arrival in September

The TOI report also stated that sources close to BCB President Tamim Iqbal have mentioned that the former cricketer returned to Bangladesh from the ICC annual general meeting and held positive talks with the Indian representatives in Edinburgh, Scotland.

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One BCB source also revealed that they are hopeful that the BCCI will accept Bangladesh Cricket’s proposal for a historic white-ball tour.

"We are hopeful about the tour. We haven't got the green signal from the BCCI, but they have also not said they are not coming. So we are hoping to get a positive response from the BCCI soon, a BCB source told TOI.

Why India's tour of Bangladesh in 2025 was cancelled?

Interestingly, the Indian side was supposed to travel to Bangladesh in 2025 for a white-ball tour, and everything was set before the tour got cancelled.

The BCB and the BCCI mutually agreed to postpone the coveted tour due to scheduling issues and the geopolitical tension, and political unrest that rocked Bangladesh.

"(We) have mutually agreed to defer the white-ball series, three ODIs and three Twenty20 Internationals, between Bangladesh and India in August 2025 to September 2026," the two boards said in a joint statement.

The first signs of tour postponement came when the BCB stopped the sale process of its media rights for two years. Interestingly, the BCCI is still contemplating going to Bangladesh, but the Tigers are hopeful that their neighbours would come in for a competitive white-ball series.

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