"No free points for other teams": Bangladesh mocked for boycotting T20 World Cup 2026

Bangladesh boycott T20 World Cup 2026 [Source: @CricCrazyJohns/x.com]

The Bangladesh government has decided that it will boycott the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had earlier requested the ICC to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka; however, the apex cricket board declined their request.

Amidst the ongoing tension between the BCB and BCCI, Bangladesh had cited security concerns as the reason for not wanting to travel to India. They were originally scheduled to play three of their group stage games in Kolkata and one in Mumbai.

"ICC had denied us our request to shift our matches away from India. We are not sure about the status of world cricket. Its popularity is going down. They have locked away 200million people. Cricket is going to the Olympics, but if a country like us is not going there, it is the ICC's failure. We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup. But we won't play in India," the BCB president, Animul Islam, was quoted as saying by RevSportz.

"We will keep fighting. There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision makers in that issue," he added.

Fans not shocked by BCB’s decision

While the fans were not surprised by the BCB’s decision not to participate in the tournament, they have not left any stones unturned to poke fun at them. Many believe that this won’t change the outcome of the tournament, while some suggest that it wouldn’t have mattered if they played.

A fan also suggested that the BCB were bluffing about pulling out of the tournament if they didn’t meet their demands. However, the ICC were unscathed by it, and Bangladesh are now forced to boycott the tournament altogether.

Here is how fans reacted

Gully Cricket HQ

@GullyCricketHQ

@CricCrazyJohns No free points for other teams 😭😭

Rutik shah

@hellosays_rutik

@CricCrazyJohns @icelandcricket this is the best time for your grand entry in the world cup 😎

Viserys I

@AksShivam

@CricCrazyJohns Bangladesh assumed their bluff would go unchallenged. It wasn’t. This episode is also a clear warning for Pakistan. Future leverage, ICC funding dynamics, and even India–Pakistan fixtures are no longer guaranteed or “mandatory.” Power equations in cricket governance are

ArSan

@KawaTakahi87205

@CricCrazyJohns Huge loss in finance 😭 for ICC

Hardik Gohil

@GohilHardy

@CricCrazyJohns Bangladesh heard high-pressure tournament and said nah, they were good.

Ranveer Energy

@ranveerenergy

@CricCrazyJohns ICC to BCB 😂

Jan 22, 2026, 5:07 PM

Earlier, the ICC had requested the BCB to reconsider their plea, but the latter were firm on their stance and did not want to travel to India. The ICC also reviewed the security arrangements in India and found no threat to any Bangladeshi player, media, or fans and hence they did not comply with the BCB’s demands to move their matches to Sri Lanka.

"The decision was taken after considering all security assessments conducted, including independent reviews, all of which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media persons, officials and fans at any of the tournament venues in India," the ICC said in their statement.

Now, the only thing remaining to be seen is if the teams in the same group as Bangladesh, Nepal, England, West Indies, and Italy get a forfeit win or if they do not get any points and compete among themselves. Irrespective, that won’t matter to the qualification process for them. They will still have to end in the top two positions to be able to play the next round.