Desk Report,
Is Bangladesh also involved in India’s sports politics?
The source told news agency ANI that the comment was quite sarcastic – ‘Asia Cup can only happen if the venue of the meeting is changed from Dhaka.’
Is Bangladesh also involved in India’s sports politics?
To put it another way, if the venue of the meeting is not changed from Dhaka, the Asia Cup will not happen. Asia Cup refers to the 2025 T20 edition of Asia Cup cricket. Where 6 teams are supposed to play. And the ‘strict ultimatum’ regarding the venue of the meeting is the annual general meeting (AGM) of the Asian Cricket Council (ACC). The ACC has called the AGM in Dhaka on July 24. But the Indian cricket board BCCI is not willing to come to Dhaka for this meeting. Not only ‘not agreeing’, the ANI source threatened to block the Asia Cup yesterday by strongly objecting to the meeting in Dhaka.
BCCI’s position at the ACC meeting in Dhaka is a reflection of India’s recent attitude towards Bangladesh. At least that’s the case in sports. The Indian cricket team was scheduled to visit Bangladesh next month to play three ODIs and three T20Is. The tour is part of the ICC Future Tour Schedule (FTF).
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the BCCI had also finalized the tour schedule last April. But in the first week of this month, the BCB announced that India is not coming for now. India’s tour of Bangladesh, which has been postponed by more than a year, will be in September 2026. Neither the BCB nor the BCCI have clarified the exact reason for the postponement.
A month earlier, in early June, similar news came in football. The All India Football Federation (AIFF) announced that India would not participate in the SAFF Under-20 Women’s Championship in Dhaka. Since India did not come, that tournament is now being held in Dhaka with 4 teams in a different format.
No official reason has been revealed behind India’s ‘no’, postponement or strong objection to three sports events in Bangladesh in the space of two months. However, there is a glimpse in the Indian and international media of what the main reason might be.
