"When Pahalgam terrorist attack happened…": India blocked from playing Bangladesh in T20 World Cup 2026

Former India cricketer-turned-politician Manoj Tiwary has given a very strong and emotional opinion at a time when there is confusion over whether Bangladesh will travel to India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026. His message was clear and direct, but much deeper than just the game.

Manoj Tiwary draws a red line on sports amid rising India-Bangladesh tensions

Tiwary said that sports should not continue when there are serious humanitarian issues involved between the two countries. He explained that this has always been his stand and reminded everyone that he has said the same thing in the past as well, over India-Pakistan matches.

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He stressed that whenever an Indian is killed brutally in any country, it should not be treated as a normal matter, as this is not about teams or tournaments, but about respecting human life. The cricket pandit believes that in such situations, India should stop all sporting relations with that country, no matter if it is Bangladesh, England, Australia, or any other nation.

Manoj Tiwary was quoted as saying by ANI: “When the Pahalgam terrorist attack happened, I had said that India should not play against Pakistan. Even though the government allowed it, my opinion was, and still is, that such matches should not happen. If any Indian is killed mercilessly in any country, whether it is Bangladesh, England, Australia, or anywhere else, then India should not maintain sporting relations with that country.”

India must not face Bangladesh at any cost

He also pointed out that this issue goes far beyond cricket or any sport. Bengal’s Sports and Youth Minister pointed out that sports and such matters are often said to be kept separate, but he feels that allowing matches in such situations sends the wrong message.

As usual, the matches will go ahead, but the former Indian batter doesn’t want the Men in Blue to play Bangladesh in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in any condition. His comments add to the fire, as there have already been reports of attacks on the Hindu community in Bangladesh.

Tiwary signed off by saying, “Sports should not be mixed with such serious matters, but these matches will still be conducted because games were allowed against Pakistan earlier. Even now, they will go ahead, but my personal opinion is very clear: they should not play.”

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ICC denies Bangladesh’s Sports Adviser's claims

Earlier, Bangladesh’s Youth and Sports Adviser, Asif Nazrul, had claimed that the International Cricket Council declared that it would not be safe for the Tigers to travel to India for the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 due to security reasons. However, sources from the ICC later clarified the situation.

It was reported that the independent security assessments carried out by internationally recognized experts have not found any threat to Bangladesh to play its scheduled ICC T20 World Cup 2026 group matches in India.

The reports have stated that the overall security risk for the tournament in India is low to moderate, which is considered normal for major global sporting events.