Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam Bulbul has decided not to attend Sunday’s highly anticipated T20 World Cup clash between India and Pakistan at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, citing Bangladesh’s non-participation in the tournament.
Aminul, who was invited by the International Cricket Council (ICC) at the marquee match on 15 February, he reconsidered his plans at the last minute and decided to return to Dhaka. He felt that it would not be appropriate to participate in the match while Bangladesh is not participating in the event. The decision was taken after he returned from the Asian Cricket Council meeting in Kuwait.
BCB umpires committee chairman Iftekhar Rahman told Cricbuzz on Saturday that Aminul does not wish to travel to Colombo only as a spectator for the high-voltage encounter.
“I spoke to Aminul Islam. Since Bangladesh are not there, he said, ‘Why should I go there just to watch the match?’ So he refused,” said Rahman.
“Maybe at first he said he would go, but later he realized that if Bangladesh is not playing, what is the point of going unnecessarily,” he said.
HOW BANGLADESH MISS T20 World Cup?
Earlier, Bangladesh pulled out of the T20 World Cup citing security concerns about playing their matches in India. Asif Nazrul, an adviser to the Bangladesh government, said the Tigers would only participate if their fixtures were moved from India.
Controversy intensified after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) dropped Mustafizur Rahman from their team on the directive of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Mustafizur was signed for Rs 9.20 crore, making him the most expensive Bangladeshi player in IPL history, but was subsequently dropped.
Aminul also played a key role in facilitating discussions between BCB, ICCand the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in Lahore. These talks eventually prompted Pakistan to reverse its initial boycott threat and agree to play India – a move widely seen as crucial to the preservation of one of cricket’s most commercially and culturally significant rivalries.
Aminul thanked Pakistan for standing by Bangladesh, but stressed that in the larger interest of the global cricket ecosystem, it was important for Pakistan to continue the match. After the Pakistani government announced its intention to boycott the match against India in solidarity with Bangladesh, Aminul traveled to Lahore and met with ICC vice-chairman Imran Khwaja and PCB chief Naqvi in an attempt to defuse the situation.
Meanwhile, after Bangladesh withdrew, Scotland were drafted in as replacements. Bangladesh were scheduled to play their first three matches at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata before heading to the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Their absence marked the first time Bangladesh had missed out on a T20 World Cup.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
February 14, 2026