Cricket Ireland dismisses venue change amid reports BCB asked ICC to swap T20 World Cup groups

Dublin, Jan 18: Amid reports from Bangladesh that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) proposed a fresh solution to the T20 World Cup 2026 issue by asking the International Cricket Council to swap groups with Ireland, Cricket Ireland said the apex body will not move their upcoming World Cup matches out of Sri Lanka. “We’ve received definitive assurances that we won’t move from the original schedule. We’re definitely playing the Group Stage in Sri Lanka,” an official from CI told.

Bangladesh, placed in Group C with West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy, are unwilling to travel to India for the tournament, citing security concerns. Their group-stage matches are currently scheduled in Kolkata and Mumbai.

On Saturday, during a meeting with the International Cricket Council (ICC) in Dhaka, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) floated the idea of swapping groups with Ireland as a possible solution. The ICC delegation was represented in person by Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager of the Integrity Unit, while Gaurav Saxena, General Manager of Events and Corporate Communications, attended virtually due to a visa delay. BCB president Md Aminul Islam, vice-presidents Md Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, Cricket Operations Committee chairman Nazmul Abedeen, and CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury were also present.

“Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB said in a statement. However, a Cricbuzz report indicated that the request did not find favour with the ICC.

The T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to begin on February 7.