Representational file photo.
Dhaka: Bangladesh has requested their matches at next month's T20 World Cup be played in Sri Lanka, after India forced a Bangladeshi player to quit the Indian Premier League.
Political relations between India and Bangladesh soured after a mass uprising in Dhaka in 2024 toppled then prime minister Sheikh Hasina, a close ally of New Delhi.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), after an emergency meeting on Sunday, said it had "formally requested" the International Cricket Council (ICC) shift their games to Sri Lanka.
"The Board of Directors resolved that the Bangladesh National Team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions," a BCB statement read.
It said its decision was made due to "growing concerns regarding the safety and security" of its players, and based on its government's advice.
Bangladesh fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was on Saturday released by the Kolkata Knight Riders after the IPL team were "advised" by Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) to do so, following tensions between the neighbouring nations.
Earlier, Asif Nazrul, Youth and Sports Adviser in the interim government, said that Dhaka "will not accept any insult to Bangladeshi cricket, cricketers and Bangladesh under any circumstances."
"The days of slavery are over," he added, in a statement carried by the state-run BSS news agency on Sunday.
"Where a Bangladeshi cricketer cannot play in India despite being contracted, the entire Bangladeshi cricket team cannot feel safe going to play in the World Cup," he wrote.
The T20 World Cup begins on February 7, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. Bangladesh are scheduled to play their four group matches in India.
