India, Jan. 4 -- Bangladesh's standoff with the ICC before the Men's T20 World Cup 2026 has shifted from a venue request into a harder question: what if a team won't show up?

Dhaka's position, driven by the government-backed safety concerns after the Mustafizur Rahman IPL episode, is that Bangladesh should not travel to India for its group games and wants those matches moved to Sri Lanka, the tournament's co-host. Bangladesh are scheduled to face the West Indies, England, Italy, and Nepal, with three games listed at the Eden Gardens, Kolkata, and one at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

The ICC has three realistic pathways, and timing will decide which one is viable.

Option one is a compromise: approve a venue switch for Bangladesh's gro...