Jos Buttler and Travis Head - (Source: X.com)
The T20 World Cup 2026 starts next week, with Pakistan facing the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo. Amid the wait for the mouth-watering event,a fresh controversy has erupted. Reports suggested that Australia and England have flagged concerns about travelling to India.
Notably, a report from InsideSport mentioned that Australia and England are concerned about the recent Nipah virus outbreak in West Bengal a do not wish to travel to India for the same reason. For the unversed, Eden Gardens will host seven matches in the tournament, including a semi-final.
What is the Nipah Virus Outbreak in West Bengal?
West Bengal reported a Nipah virus (NiV) outbreak in late 2025 and early 2026, marking its first cases since 2007. Two 25-year-old nurses (one male, one female) at a Barasat hospital near Kolkata developed symptoms in late December 2025, with RT-PCR confirmation on January 13, 2026.
At present, the medical team are working round the clock to contain the outbreak and not let it turn into a COVID-like outbreak. Therefore, amid this health scare, the two teams are sceptical about coming to Bengal in India.
Did Australia and England actually raise concern to the ICC for T20 World Cup 2026?
The rumours spread like fire on the internet, but in the latest events, it can be confirmed that the news is fake. Gaurav Gupta from The Times of India took to Twitter to confirm that the ongoing rumours are not true.
For the unversed, Australia will play all their group stage matches in Sri Lanka and will only travel to India after the first round. England, on the other hand, have two matches scheduled in Bengal, one against Scotland on February 14 and another against Italy on February 16.
Thus, out of the two teams, England still have a motive to urge ICC and explain the. situation. However, the same is not true for Australia. The fact check reveals that reports about England and Australia refusing to play in India are unconfirmed and currently based solely on concerns about a virus outbreak, rather than an official withdrawal.
BCCI refutes Nipah virus outbreak claims
Recently the BCCI too refuted the reports of Australia and England registering complaints against the recent outbreak.
“We take any potential health risk seriously, especially ahead of major tournaments. At this stage, we have not identified any credible threat. If the situation changes, decisions will be taken in consultation with local authorities and the government,” an official said, speaking to Inside Sports.
“There is absolutely no question of moving matches away from Kolkata,” the BCCI official emphasised. “Everything is safe at the moment. If the government or local administration advises otherwise, we will respond accordingly. For now, there is no discussion about changing World Cup plans due to Nipah virus concerns.”
Already, the T20 World Cup 2026 is under a lot of scrutiny because Bangladesh pulled out of the tournament, while Pakistan are yet to make a decision whether they want to play the tournament or support their Asian counterpart in their stand against the ICC for alleged bias.
