Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026: Bangladesh has already refused to play in the T20 World Cup 2026. Meanwhile, the ICC has surprised everyone by allowing Bangladesh to enter the tournament.

Bangladesh has been eliminated from the 2026 T20 World Cup. The neighboring country had refused to play in the tournament, citing security concerns in India. Although Bangladesh had requested the International Cricket Council (ICC) to change its venue for the tournament, their request was rejected. Now, in a surprising decision, the ICC has granted Bangladesh entry into the tournament. 

The ICC announced its list of match officials on Friday (January 30), which includes 24 umpires and six referees. However, it's worth noting that Bangladeshi umpires are also included in the ICC's list. Sharfud-ud-Daula Ibn Shahid and Gazi Sohel are Bangladeshi umpires.  

Pakistani umpires have also been included in the list. It should be noted that the ICC has currently only announced the match officials (umpires and referees) for the league stage matches. Match officials for the Super 8 and knockout stages will be confirmed later.

Bangladeshi umpires had come to India for the ODI series

A five-match T20 series is currently underway between India and New Zealand. Prior to this, they played a three-match ODI series. Bangladesh's Sharafuddullah served as the third umpire in all three matches played on Indian soil. Now, Bangladeshi umpires will be seen on Indian soil in the T20 World Cup.

Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights were the umpires for the first match.

The first match of the World Cup will be played between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo, starting on February 7. Kumar Dharmasena and Wayne Knights will officiate in this match.

6 Match Referees: Dean Cosker, David Gilbert, Ranjan Madugalle, Andrew Pycroft, Richie Richardson, Javagal Srinath.

24 Umpires: Roland Black, Chris Brown, Kumar Dharmasena, Chris Gaffaney, Adrian Holdstock, Richard Illingworth, Richard Kettleborough, Wayne Knights, Donovan Koch, Jayaraman Madangopal, Nitin Menon, Sam Nogajski, KNA Padmanabhan, Allahuddin Palekar, Ahsan Raza, Leslie Reifer, Paul Reiffel, Langton Rusere, Sharfuddaula Ibne Shahid, Gazi Sohail, Rod Tucker, Alex Wharf, Ravindra Wimalasiri, Asif Yaqoob.

PC: ABP News