Bangladesh Approves Tour: Bangladesh has made a major U-turn within a week ahead of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. The country that refused to send its cricket team to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, citing it as security concerns, has now given permission for its shooting team to tour India. This decision has raised questions about Bangladesh’s policy and justifications.
Bangladesh Approves Tour to India Amid Boycotting World Cup
According to the ICC’s schedule, Bangladesh was supposed to play its league matches in Kolkata and Mumbai during the 2026 T20 World Cup. However, the Bangladesh government took the drastic step of boycotting the tournament, citing security concerns. Not only that, they also demanded that the ICC should change the venues for the matches, a request that was later rejected.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has given permission for its team to travel to India for the Asian Rifle and Pistol Shooting Championship which is to be held in New Delhi. This tournament is scheduled to take place between February 2 and 14. The Bangladesh Shooting Federation informed that the team includes one shooter, Biul Islam, and one coach, Sharmin Akhtar. Both will depart for India on January 31.
Bangladesh Government Justification
According to media reports, the Bangladesh government says that the shooting competition is a completely indoor event, so there are no security concerns. Permission was granted for the shooting team to travel to India only after considering all aspects.
This is what is most surprising. While the Bangladesh government raised questions about security in India for the T20 World Cup, it has stated that there is no threat regarding the shooting event being held in the same country. Earlier, Asif Nazrul, the sports advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, had openly expressed concerns about security issues regarding playing T20 World Cup matches in India.
After the ICC rejected the demand to change the venues, Bangladesh withdrew from the World Cup. However, the fact that the shooting team has now been granted permission to travel to India makes it clear that there is a lack of consistency in Bangladesh’s decisions, which has sparked a new debate in the sports world.
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