Bangladesh’s last hope crushed as ICC rejects appeal via Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) on T20 WC

The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) bold efforts to get the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move their T20 World Cup 2026 matches out of India have hit a major roadblock.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had appealed to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), hoping for a legal way to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 group matches to Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 fight finaly ends

But the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) will reportedly not hear their case, as reported by the PTI journalist. The rules clearly state that the body is not eligible to challenge any of the ICC decisions, which means Bangladesh has no legal option to force the matches to move out of India.

SHORTS

View More

Your daily dose of cricket!

Loading...

Read Also: BCB announces legal fight after ICC rejects T20 World Cup 2026 venue change demand

Clause 1.3 of the Terms of Reference of the DRC reads: “The Committee shall not operate as an appeal body against decisions of the ICC or any decision-making body established under the ICC's Memorandum and Articles of Association or under any rules or regulations of the ICC...”

Some #BreakingNews #BangladeshCricket
The @BCBtigers appeal to @ICC 's Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) won't even be up for Hearing as it is beyond Committee's Remit.
Why
As per clause 1.3 of Terms of Reference of DRC: "The Committee shall not operate as an appeal body…

— Kushan Sarkar (@kushansarkar) January 23, 2026

The case can't even be heard at DRC: ICC

Meanwhile, an ICC source also revealed that the DRC is not allowed to handle cases involving decisions made by the ICC board, like rejecting a request to change the World Cup venue.

The ICC source was quoted as saying by PTI, “Bangladesh can approach the DRC, but if one looks at the rules, the case can't even be heard, as the committee doesn't have the remit to hear an appeal, which is against the decision made by the Board of Directors.”

This was a massive setback for the BCB, as the T20 World Cup 2026 will go on as planned in India and Sri Lanka, starting on February 7. Now, Bangladesh must decide whether to play their group matches in India under ICC security or miss the tournament entirely.

Read Also: Danish Kaneria backs ICC, slams Bangladesh over T20 World Cup 2026 standoff

Bangladesh players ready, but Govt blocked from India visit for T20 World Cup 2026

On the other hand, Bangladesh cricket team players were ready to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, but their government told them in a meeting that they are not taking part in the tournament. It is being said that it is not BCB, but the Bangladesh Government that is taking all the calls regarding the India travel.

A Bangladesh cricketer was quoted as saying by Cricbuzz, on condition of anonymity: “The meeting was called not to give our consent, as it was made out to be initially. Rather, we were called so that we are aware of the development in the ongoing crisis. They made up their mind and decided what they will do before coming into the meeting, and it's not like any decision was taken taking our views into consideration.”

He added, “They didn't ask. They made the plan directly and said it's not happening. Earlier, they would sit with us and hear us out. But now, they've already said we're not going," he said. "The thing is, Bangladesh's government call was already made, and nothing else but that's the real story. It was a direct order from the government—it's not happening.”