Deteriorating diplomatic relations between India and Bangladesh could shelve bilateral cricket between the two nations for some time as the BCCI is unlikely to tour the neighboring country despite BCB’s announcement of an engagement.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Friday said a six-match white-ball series will be played in September. It even announced the dates and claimed to have consulted the BCCI. As per BCB schedulethe three ODIs will be played on September 1, 3 and 6, while the T20Is will be played on September 9, 12 and 13 after the Indian team reaches Bangladesh on August 28.
The series was originally scheduled to take place last year but was called off indefinitely due to security concerns by the Indian board. It is reliably learned that BCCI is unlikely to play the ball this time either, which indicates that instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to drop pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the team.
BCCI’s reluctance to perform the concert stems from the current volatile situation in Bangladesh, which has been in the grip of political violence for the past six months. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their T20 World Cup matches in India as early as next month and BCB’s stance on this will be keenly watched following Rahman’s IPL ban as per BCCI guidelines.
If the situation worsens, then a scenario similar to the situation between India and Pakistan is not entirely unimaginable. India and Pakistan play all their ICC games at neutral venues due to frosty relations that worsened further after last year’s Pahalgam terror attack. The much awaited IND vs PAK T20 World Cup match will be played in Sri Lanka next month.
India-Bangladesh relations took a southerly turn after the ouster of Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India last August following anti-government protests. A tribunal sentenced her to death in absentia this year for her alleged role in a fatal strike during an agitation in which several students were killed.
Dhaka summoned Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma five times over various issues, while India summoned Bangladesh High Commissioner Reaz Hamidullah once to express security concerns in Bangladesh. The transition from what was widely regarded as an “India-friendly” Awami League government to a provisional exception led by Muhammad Yunus significantly changed Bangladesh’s diplomatic position.
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Published on:
January 3, 2026
