Ireland Respond As Bangladesh Ask ICC To Swap T20 World Cup Group With Them

Ireland cricket team in action© AFP

The controversy surrounding Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 took a fresh turn as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) made a stunning suggestion to the International Cricket Council (ICC). During their meeting on Saturday, BCB asked ICC to swap their groups with Ireland’s as that will allow them to play all of their group stage matches in Sri Lanka. It was in line with Bangladesh’s request to shift all of their T20 World Cup matches from India. However, Cricket Ireland (CI) stated that they have received ‘definitive assurances’ that their World Cup schedule will not change. Cricket Ireland added that they will be playing all of their World Cup matches in Sri Lanka.

“We’ve received definitive assurances that we won’t move from the original schedule. We’re definitely playing the Group Stage in Sri Lanka,” an official from CI told Cricbuzz in a statement.

Ireland are placed in Group B alongside Australia, Sri Lanka, Zimbabwe and Oman. Meanwhile,  Bangladesh are currently placed in Group C along with the West Indies, Italy, England and Nepal and are scheduled to play their matches in Kolkata and Mumbai.

Earlier, BCB made it clear to ICC that they were not ready to travel to India for the T20 World Cup.

“During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The Board also shared the Bangladesh Government’s views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders.” 

“The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the official press release from BCB read.

Topics mentioned in this article