The International Cricket Council (ICC) has cancelled the media accreditation of all Bangladeshi journalists who applied to cover the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, set to be held in India and Sri Lanka, sparking disappointment across the country’s sports media community.
The decision was communicated via email on Monday evening, informing applicants that their accreditation requests had been rejected. Nearly 100 Bangladeshi sports journalists had applied within the ICC’s stipulated deadline to cover the tournament, including Bangladesh’s scheduled matches.
However, following Bangladesh’s withdrawal from playing matches in India due to security concerns and its subsequent exclusion from the tournament, the ICC reportedly cancelled all Bangladeshi media applications collectively.
According to earlier plans, Bangladesh was set to play three group-stage matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai, prompting many local media outlets to prepare coverage teams regardless of the team’s final participation status.
Bangladeshi journalists have been a consistent presence at every Cricket World Cup since 1999, and even earlier in some tournaments, reflecting the country’s deep public interest in global cricket events. Almost all major media houses traditionally send reporters abroad to cover World Cups due to strong audience demand.
The ICC’s latest move has therefore come as a shock to the local sports journalism community, with many calling it unprecedented and discriminatory. Attempts to obtain clarification from the ICC’s media department have so far failed to produce an official response.
The issue has also revived earlier concerns raised by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) leadership and sports officials over the safety of Bangladeshi journalists travelling to India for professional assignments.
Media professionals argue that excluding an entire country’s press corps from covering a global cricket tournament in a neighbouring region undermines fair access and raises serious questions about transparency in the ICC’s accreditation process.