Bangladesh captain Litton Das has revealed that his team wanted to take part in the T20 World Cup 2026 in India, but the country’s cricket board decided against the participation, citing security concerns.
The build-up to the World Cup was dominated by Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) said that security concerns were behind its decision. Despite repeated assurances from the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), the BCB did not budge and eventually pulled out of the event. The team replaced by Scotland.
Now, months after the controversy, Das has opened up about what happened behind closed doors and said that playing in India would not have posed a problem for the players.
‘We wanted to play’
Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said the players attended a meeting with senior BCB officials expecting a routine interaction. But they were asked for their views on participating in the World Cup.
“We went there to participate (in a meeting with top BCB officials), to have tea. Our mindset was to have tea in an AC room. We were asked what we wanted. As players, what would we want? We don’t want to fight. We would obviously want to play,” he said.
According to him, the board informed the players that India was not considered a safe destination. “They told us there was no safety in that country (India). We told them, we have played in Pakistan too. They used to stand outside the room with guns. What can be more dangerous than that? If we can play in Pakistan, why not India,” he said.
His account gives a glimpse into the events that led to Bangladesh’s decision to pull out of one of cricket’s biggest tournaments.
When the issue first surfaced in January, Das had avoided expressing a opinion in public. At the time, uncertainty surrounded Bangladesh’s participation, and the captain chose his words carefully.
“Are you sure we are going to play the World Cup? From my side, I am uncertain; everyone is uncertain. I think the whole of Bangladesh is uncertain at this moment. No answer. I understand what question you are going to ask. That is not safe for me. No answer,” he had said.
The rise of Litton Das
He has been one of Bangladesh cricket’s most recognisable faces over the past decade. He made his Test debut against India national cricket team in 2015 and made his T20 International debut later that year against the South Africa national cricket team.
Initially selected primarily as a specialist batter, he later took over wicketkeeping in 2017 to allow veteran cricketer Mushfiqur Rahim to concentrate on batting.
One of the defining moments of his career came in the 2018 Asia Cup Final, where he scored a memorable century against India. Although Bangladesh lost the match, Das was named Player of the Match for his performance.
In March 2020, he produced another landmark innings, scoring 176 off 143 balls against the Zimbabwe national cricket team. The knock is the highest individual ODI score by a Bangladesh batter.
