Bangladesh New Sports Minister Wants to Resolve India Issues After T20 World Cup 2026 Snub
While the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is in full swing across India and Sri Lanka, Bangladesh are watching from home — and their new sports minister wants to make sure this never happens again. Aminul Haque, sworn in on February 19 as Bangladesh’s new sports minister, has made patching up relations with India his very first priority.
Bangladesh missed the entire T20 World Cup 2026 because of a political dispute with India. Now, their new government wants to fix it — fast.
What Happened — Why Bangladesh Missed T20 WC 2026
This is a story that started with cricket and ended in diplomacy. Here’s the full sequence of events simply explained:
- The Indian government asked Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur Rahman — Bangladesh’s only IPL 2026 player — from their squad
- Bangladesh’s previous government responded by refusing to send their team to play matches in India
- They wanted to play only in Sri Lanka — India refused to accommodate this
- The ICC stepped in and excluded Bangladesh from the tournament entirely
- Scotland replaced Bangladesh in the group stage
It was a dramatic and unfortunate chain of events that cost Bangladesh their place at one of cricket’s biggest stages.
| Timeline | Event |
|---|---|
| IPL 2026 | KKR asked to remove Mustafizur Rahman |
| Pre-tournament | Bangladesh govt refuses to play in India |
| ICC decision | Bangladesh excluded, Scotland replaced them |
| Feb 9, 2026 | ICC confirms no penalty for Bangladesh |
| Feb 19, 2026 | New sports minister sworn in, seeks resolution |
What Bangladesh’s New Minister Said
Aminul Haque wasted zero time. On the same day he was sworn in, he met with India’s deputy high commissioner at the Parliament building in Dhaka. His message was clear and direct — Bangladesh wants to move on and rebuild the relationship.
He acknowledged that the diplomatic complications cost Bangladesh their World Cup spot, saying that if those issues had been discussed and settled earlier, their team might have participated. He confirmed the conversation with India’s representative was cordial and that Bangladesh wants to maintain friendly relations with all neighbouring countries, not just in cricket but across all sectors.
This is a significant shift in tone from the previous government’s position, which was far more confrontational.
ICC Decision — No Penalty for Bangladesh
One piece of good news arrived on February 9, 2026 — the ICC announced it would not be penalising Bangladesh or the BCB for their non-participation. This was important for the BCB financially and reputationally.
Even better, the BCB were given rights to host an out-of-turn ICC event before the 2031 Men’s ODI World Cup — an event for which Bangladesh are already co-hosts alongside India. This suggests the ICC is keen to bring Bangladesh back into the fold and recognises the political nature of what happened.
For the latest T20 World Cup 2026 news and tournament updates including all off-field stories, stay across the news page.
India Tour of Bangladesh — September 2026
Here is where things get really interesting. India are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in September 2026 for a white-ball series — three ODIs and three T20Is. This tour was originally postponed from August 2025 and was announced before the recent sequence of events escalated.
With Bangladesh’s new government now actively seeking to rebuild the relationship, the September tour suddenly becomes much more likely to actually happen. If both sides can resolve the diplomatic issues quickly — as the minister hopes — cricket between the two nations could resume by September.
| Series Detail | Info |
|---|---|
| Series | India tour of Bangladesh |
| Format | 3 ODIs + 3 T20Is |
| Originally Scheduled | August 2025 (postponed) |
| Current Target | September 2026 |
| Status | Subject to diplomatic resolution |
What This Means for Bangladesh Cricket
Missing the T20 World Cup 2026 is a big blow for Bangladesh cricket on multiple levels. They also missed automatic qualification for T20 World Cup 2028 in Australia and New Zealand — a spot that all eight Super 8 teams at this tournament have now secured. Bangladesh will need to qualify through the ICC rankings route instead, where they are currently expected to take one of the three additional automatic spots available at the March 9 rankings cut-off.
Beyond qualification, the lack of exposure at the World Cup level hurts player development, team rankings, and commercial revenue for the BCB. A quick resolution with India and a successful September tour would go a long way toward getting Bangladesh cricket back on track.
Check how all Super 8 teams qualified and what automatic 2028 spots mean for the bigger picture of tournament qualification.
Can Bangladesh and India Fix Things Quickly?
The signs are encouraging. A new government with a clear, conciliatory message. A first-day meeting with India’s representative. A cordial conversation. The ICC already removing the threat of penalties. These are all positive signals.
The real test will be whether the diplomatic relationship — which extends well beyond cricket — can be normalised quickly enough for the September tour to go ahead as planned. Cricket can actually be a powerful tool for rebuilding that relationship, and both boards know it.
Follow all teams and updates at the T20 World Cup 2026 as the Super 8 stage heats up and off-field stories continue to develop.
FAQs
Q: Why did Bangladesh miss the T20 World Cup 2026? Bangladesh were excluded after their previous government refused to send the team to play matches in India due to geopolitical tensions. Scotland replaced them in the tournament.
Q: What did Bangladesh’s new sports minister say about India? Aminul Haque said he wants to resolve the issues with India quickly and met India’s deputy high commissioner on his first day in office, describing the conversation as cordial.
Q: Was Bangladesh penalised by the ICC for missing T20 WC 2026? No. The ICC announced on February 9, 2026 that Bangladesh would not be penalised. The BCB were also given rights to host an out-of-turn ICC event before 2031.
Q: Will India tour Bangladesh in 2026? India are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in September 2026 for 3 ODIs and 3 T20Is — a tour postponed from August 2025. Whether it happens depends on the diplomatic situation being resolved.
Q: Did Bangladesh qualify for T20 World Cup 2028? Not automatically. The eight Super 8 teams at 2026 earned automatic 2028 spots. Bangladesh are expected to qualify via the ICC rankings cut-off on March 9, 2026.
Q: What started the Bangladesh-India cricket dispute? It began when the Indian government asked KKR to remove Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad, which triggered Bangladesh’s previous government to refuse playing World Cup matches in India.
