Is the India tour still going on? Bangladesh hope despite Mustafizur Rahman IPL saga
Bangladesh are hoping to use sports diplomacy to mend strained cricket ties with India as they press ahead with plans to host the neighboring country for a white-ball series in September.
Relations between the two boards soured earlier this year after Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman was withdrawn from Kolkata Knight Riders ahead of the Indian Premier League on BCCI instructions. The controversy eventually escalated into a wider diplomatic matter which led to Bangladesh’s withdrawal from the T20 World Cupciting security concerns.
The fallout also affected India’s planned tour of Bangladesh. The six-match series, originally scheduled for August 2025, was postponed to September 2026 due to tensions between the two countries. According to the revised itinerary released by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), India are expected to arrive on August 28, with three ODIs scheduled on September 1, 3 and 6, followed by three T20 Internationals on September 9, 12 and 13. September
Bangladesh’s Minister of State for Youth and Sports Aminul Haque said the government was placing considerable emphasis on sports diplomacy to restore normalcy.
“We have already spoken to the Indian embassy, they have also spoken to us and they are all waiting for India to come to Bangladesh in September,” Aminul told Cricbuzz, expressing confidence that tensions between the two nations would ease.
BCB PUSHES AHEAD OF UNCERTAINTY
Despite the uncertainty surrounding the tour, BCB continues its preparations. Earlier this month, it tendered television and digital media rights covering its domestic internationals in 2026 and 2027, including the visit of India, signaling optimism that the series will go ahead as planned. BCB media committee chairman Asif Rabbani recently reiterated the board’s confidence in hosting one of the world’s biggest cricket teams.
Bangladesh also showed their commitment by postponing a planned tour of Ireland to keep the September window open for India. The board further indicated that it is prepared to strengthen security measures if necessary.
For Bangladesh, a successful India tour would be much more than just another bilateral series – it would be a powerful demonstration of cricket’s ability to mend broken ties.
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Issued by:
sabyasachi chowdhury
Published on:
21 Jul 2026 18:38 IST