After Pakistan, cricketing relations between India and Bangladesh seem to have steeped to a new low. The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday (January 3) reportedly put on hold a scheduled tour of Bangladesh in 2026, which was only recently announced by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
According to a report by The Indian Express, BCCI will now seek the Indian government’s approval for the tour. As per the news report, it has also raised the prospect of the relationship collapsing into an India-Pakistan-like situation, where the two teams would play each other only on neutral venues at global events.
The BCCI will communicate to BCB about Indian government decisions in due course. The ongoing political crisis, however, is unlikely to impact Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka in February.
Timeline of the cricketing dispute
This series which was originally scheduled to take place in September of 2025 was postponed due to strained relations between the countries. Following this development in light of strained ties between Dhaka and Delhi following the ICT verdict on Sheikh Hasina, a rubber between India and Bangladesh women cricket teams was also put off.
“We didn’t travel to Bangladesh last year too, BCB had issued their international calendar, but it looks doubtful, as we need Indian government approval to play in any other country. As far as the T20I World Cup is concerned, Bangladesh will play as per the scheduled games in India,” a senior BCCI official told Indian Express.
Mustafizur Rahman at centre of political storm
The decision to put the series on hold follows BCCI’s order to Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) asking the IPL franchise to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad, ahead of the 2026 season.
The issue of Rahman’s ouster was widely discussed on online forums before BCCI’s order was put in place. The controversy surrounding the issue had also pushed KKR co-owner, Shah Rukh in the eye of the storm, with various political leaders calling for the three-time IPL champions to remove Rahman from their squad.
KKR had bought the 30-year-old Bangladesh fast bowler for Rs 9.5 crore in the auction ahead of the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League (IPL) in December.
