Will India’s proposed white-ball tour of Bangladesh go ahead as scheduled?
Less than a month before the team is due to travel, fresh political developments have once again cast a spell of doubt over the six-match series.
The latest twist follows remarks by former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in New Delhi, where she told reporters she hoped to return to the country in December. Her statement has reignited political tensions in Bangladesh, where anti-India sentiment has remained strong since her ouster a couple of years ago.
Within hours of Hasina’s comments, an angry mob torched the home of former Bangladesh captain and former Member of Parliament Shakib Al Hasan, highlighting the fragile security situation.
The Bangladesh government, too, expressed its ‘outrage’ over Hasina’s press conference, following which India’s Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal on Friday clarified that the “government had no role to play in what was an event by a private media entity, and it does not endorse anything said at the forum, especially with regard to the duly constituted government of Bangladesh.”
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Against that backdrop, the future of the tour is once again under scrutiny. Multiple sources have told Sportstar that, with the security situation under constant review and diplomatic sensitivities at play, the final decision will rest with the Government of India, which clears overseas tours after assessing inputs from various security agencies.
While discussions with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) are continuing, BCB president Tamim Iqbal is believed to be making every effort to keep the tour on track. According to sources, the former Bangladesh captain has requested the government to initiate higher-level talks with their Indian counterpart.
However, time is fast running out.
Tamim’s visit to India earlier this week, during which he toured the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru and held informal discussions with BCCI officials, had briefly raised hopes of the series staying on track. The latest political developments, however, have pushed matters back to square one.
As per the original itinerary, the Indian team was scheduled to leave for Dhaka on August 28, leaving both boards with little room to manoeuvre if a decision is delayed much longer.
More on this developing situation from The Hindu’s Suhasini Haider
The proposed tour, comprising three ODIs and three T20Is, was slated to be the first bilateral series between the two sides after Bangladesh declined to tour India and withdrew from the T20 World Cup earlier this year, citing security concerns.
For the BCB, hosting India represents one of the biggest commercial opportunities of the season. Beyond the financial significance, the series also carries considerable cricketing value, with India remaining one of the most sought-after touring teams.
India visited Bangladesh for the last time in 2022, while Bangladesh last played a bilateral series against India in late 2024.
However, this is not the first time the tour has come under a cloud. Last year, political unrest in Bangladesh had prompted both boards to postpone a series. The latest developments, however, have once again left the tour’s immediate future in the balance.
While an outright cancellation remains unlikely at this stage, sources indicated that another postponement could also be considered as a realistic option if the situation does not improve soon. In that scenario, the BCCI and the BCB could look to defer the series and work together to identify a suitable window to kstage it once the security and political situation stabilises.
Whether India ultimately travels is now likely to depend on the government’s assessment of the security situation in the coming days.
Should the Bangladesh tour not materialise, India is expected to play Afghanistan in a three-match limited-overs series in New Delhi during the same window.
Published on Aug 07, 2026
