Cricket Ireland have firmly ruled out any change to their T20 World Cup venues, dismissing reports that a group swap with Bangladesh is under consideration.
The clarification came after media reports from Bangladesh claimed that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to exchange their group with Ireland’s, a move that would have allowed Bangladesh to avoid travelling to India.
“We’ve received definitive assurances that we won’t move from the original schedule. We’re definitely playing the group stage in Sri Lanka,” a Cricket Ireland official told Cricbuzz on Saturday, 17 January 2026.
Ireland are placed in Group C of the T20 World Cup alongside co-hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Oman, with all their group matches scheduled in Sri Lanka. Bangladesh, meanwhile, are in Group B with West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy, and are due to play their group games in Kolkata and Mumbai. The BCB have expressed reluctance to travel to India.
The idea of a group swap was raised by the BCB during a meeting with ICC officials in Dhaka on Saturday. In an official statement, the BCB said: “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.”
However, the proposal appears to have found little support, both from the ICC and from Cricket Ireland.
The ICC delegation at the meeting included Gaurav Saxena, General Manager of Events and Corporate Communications, and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager of the Integrity Unit. Saxena joined the discussions virtually after receiving his visa later than expected, while Ephgrave attended in person.
The BCB delegation was led by president Md Aminul Islam, alongside vice-presidents Md Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, director and chairman of the Cricket Operations Committee Nazmul Abedeen, and chief executive Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.
Despite the setback, the BCB said all parties had agreed to continue “constructive dialogue” on the issue. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from 7 February to 8 March.
