Bangladesh’s newly appointed Minister of State for Youth and Sports, Aminul Haq, has indicated his keenness to reset cricket relations between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and “quickly resolve the issue” in the wake of the events that led to Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the 2026 T20 World Cup.
“After taking the oath today, I met the Indian Deputy High Commissioner in the Parliament building. I discussed the T20 World Cup with him,” Haq said on Tuesday after Bangladesh’s new government was sworn in after the general elections. “It was a friendly conversation. I told him that we want to resolve this issue quickly through discussions because we want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighboring countries.”
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Tensions have risen between the two cricket boards, which are set to co-host the 2031 World Cup, after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman, the only Bangladeshi in IPL 2026, was removed from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad. Bangladesh, citing security concerns, urged the ICC to move the World Cup matches outside India. The ICC rejected the petition and later replaced Bangladesh in the tournament with Scotland.
While Bangladesh sports advisor Asif Nazrul blamed the players and the Brazilian Central Bank for the team’s absence from the tournament, Haq explained that unresolved diplomatic issues were at the heart of the matter.
“You know that due to diplomatic complications, we could not play in the World Cup. If these issues had been discussed and settled earlier, our team might have participated,” he said.
However, the ICC confirmed that Bangladesh would not face sanctions for refusing to travel to India and promised the country the rights to host a world championship in the 2028–31 cycle.
Haque’s statement could indicate that if relations improve, India’s scheduled tour of Bangladesh in September, which includes three ODIs and three T20Is, may go ahead as planned.
