BCCI abandons Bangladesh T20 World Cup mess, throws responsibility at Jay Shah

The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has reacted to the controversy over the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) request to play its upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 matches outside India. Board secretary Devajit Saikia stated that the International Cricket Council (ICC) will take a call on the matter.

The BCB has repeatedly asked the ICC to move its matches in the marquee tournament from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns. The request came after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released by the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) for the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 on the BCCI’s directions.

It’s Not Our Domain to Talk - BCCI Secretary on Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup Match Request

Senior officials of the BCCI met in Mumbai to review work at the Centre of Excellence and discuss other key issues, with a strong focus on youth cricket. Devajit Saikia, president Mithun Manhas, vice-president Rajeev Shukla, and CoE cricket head VVS Laxman attended the meeting.

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Following the meeting, Saikia was asked about Bangladesh’s request to avoid playing in India. He stated that the topic is not under the BCCI’s responsibility and added that the meeting was only about cricket-related matters.

“The meeting was about CoE and other cricketing matters. It’s not our domain to talk about that (as the ICC has the final say on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup),” Saikia was quoted as saying by PTI.

We Assessed the Vacancies at CoE - Devajit Saikia

The Centre of Excellence still has empty posts in some important technical roles, even though it has been fully running since April last year. The vacant roles include head of education and head of sports science.

Devajit Saikia said that the board has reviewed the issue and will begin the hiring process soon. He added that there is a global shortage of technical experts, but the BCCI wants to fill the posts as quickly as possible.

"We assessed the vacancies at CoE and decided to go ahead with the recruitment process soon. There is an acute shortage of technical personnel worldwide, but we are trying to fill the positions at the earliest," said Saikia.

We Thought It Was the Right Time to Review - Devajit Saikia

Devajit Saikia said that the BCCI felt it was the right time to closely review the Centre of Excellence's functioning and plan the next steps. He stated that matches are being held on all three grounds at the facility, including games from the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy.

"We thought it was an appropriate time to review the preparations and activities of CoE. We are hosting matches on the three grounds there (including the ongoing Vijay Hazare Trophy). We also talked about how the A tours need to be scheduled going forward."

"In certain situations, the A side and senior team are touring together at the same time. We need to ensure that there is no overlap. An A tour is an important supply line of cricketers," said the cricketer-turned-lawyer from Assam.

Also read: Tamim Iqbal accused of being an ‘Indian Agent’ as Bangladesh Cricket descends into ugly controversy