It was a sobering day for Bangladesh cricket.

The hollow smiles worn by Litton Kumar Das and his teammates as they left the team hotel conveyed a sense of resignation, as if they had come to terms with a fate seemingly sealed by the government in tandem with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB). Since the new regime took charge following the July movement that ousted the previous Awami League government, the BCB has appeared firmly aligned with the authorities.

While the BCB and the government continued to cling to hopes of a late miracle securing Bangladesh's place at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, the reality pointed in the opposite direction. According to sources, the ICC is expected to replace Bangladesh with Scotland sooner rather than later after the team refused to travel to India citing security reasons.

The meeting between the cricketers and sports advisor Asif Nazrul became the major talking point. Some hoped that the players, the biggest stakeholders in the game, would be able to impress upon the authorities the significance of a World Cup.

Instead, the meeting unfolded very differently. The cricketers were not called to give their consent but to be informed that their World Cup dream was effectively over, with the government unwilling to change its stance after claiming the ICC had failed to deliver justice. Bangladesh had sought a relocation of its matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns.

Players were briefly allowed to speak, and sources aware of the developments confirmed to Cricbuzz that most were in favour of playing the T20 World Cup. However, their views appeared to have little bearing on the final decision.


"The meeting was called not to give our consent as it was made out to be initially. Rather, we were called so that we are aware of the development in the ongoing crisis. They made up their mind and decided what they will do before coming into the meeting, and it's not like any decision was taken taking our views into consideration," said a cricketer on condition of anonymity.

"They didn't ask. They made the plan directly and said it's not happening. Earlier, they would sit with us and hear us out. But now, they've already said we're not going," he said. "The thing is, Bangladesh's government call was already made and nothing else but that's the real story. It was a direct order from the government - it's not happening."

Following the meeting, Nazrul told reporters that Bangladesh would not change its stance and accused the ICC of failing to deliver "proper justice", adding that neither the ICC nor the Indian government had taken any meaningful steps to address Bangladesh's specific grievances.

"Cricket is finished. If we don't go, it will be our cricket's loss. Who cares?," said another cricketer on request of anonymity.

It was learnt that T20 captain Litton Das and Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto spoke during the meeting and insisted they were ready to play in the tournament.

In response, government and BCB officials highlighted previous incidents involving threats to Bangladeshi players. They also cited security concerns, along with the safety of spectators and journalists.

The cricketers were further informed that the BCCI had not contacted them, with officials questioning how a team could be sent under such circumstances. "Bangladesh is supposed to go, but now if they act like this, how can a country send a team?" the source said.

BCB president Aminul Islam Bulbul attempted to offer reassurance, but it had little impact on the players.

"What can he (Aminul) say apart from giving us comfort mentally and we know and understand his situation very well," said the cricketer. "We did give our opinion but we understand from the beginning that they already decided that we're not going to play the World Cup in India."

A member of the team management who attended the meeting said he felt sorry for the players, who had prepared extensively for the showpiece event.

"I feel sorry for the cricketers because they are ones who had put up a lot of effort to develop as a formidable T20I unit and you cannot deny our recent results validate the claim," he said. "We can only hope this too shall pass."

For Bangladesh cricket, that sentiment perhaps sums up the prevailing mood. How long it will take to see light at the end of the tunnel remains an open question.