‘There was room to..’- Tamim Iqbal speaks out on BCB-BCCI fallout at T20 World Cup 2026

The interim president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), Tamim Iqbal, has broken the silence on the recent tensions between their board and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), revealing that ‘there was room to find a solution’ during the T20 World Cup 2026 in India and Sri Lanka.

The former Bangladesh captain admitted that the former cricket administration of their board couldn’t handle the situation in the right manner, which saw the Litton Das-led side not being able to feature in the World Cup.

‘We could have talked it out’- Tamim Iqbal opens up on BCB-BCCI standoff that rocked T20 World Cup 2026

Bangladesh were scheduled to play their three group-stage games of the World Cup at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and one at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. However, due to their refusal, Scotland replaced them at the eleventh hour of the tournament.

Tamim noted that Bangladesh should have handled the issue in a better way and should not have missed the chance to play in a World Cup. He even made the same statement at the time of controversy.

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“I was probably the first to speak out when the (T20) World Cup issue happened. What was done, and how it was handled by the previous Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) administration, was not right. The ICC was lenient; there was room to find a solution. We should have found it.” The former opener told the 'Indian Express.’

“Regarding BCCI — I have played a lot of cricket with Mithun Manhas. In the IPL, we were in the same team; he has come to Bangladesh many times to play in the Dhaka leagues. Very good rapport. I haven’t had the chance to sit with him in this capacity yet, but I know him well.” He added.

Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup 2026 crisis explained- How the BCB-BCCI fallout unfolded  

The controversy began at the start of 2026 when the BCCI directed the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise, the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR), to release the left-arm pacer of Bangladesh, Mustafizur Rahman, from his contract due to the diplomatic tensions between the two countries. 

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The issue later got escalated as BCB requested the ICC to shift their T20 World Cup 2026 games out of India due to security concerns. However, the ICC didn’t find a valid reason to make the shift, and they denied it after a few meetings.

Tamim, who is leading the BCCI, reckoned that his main goal would be to rebuild the Bangladesh cricket team and ensure that mistakes like the World Cup withdrawal don’t take place in the future.

“The country’s security is absolutely brilliant at the moment. There is no issue, no security threat — and it has never been for the Indian cricket team. When India comes here, the whole stadium is packed. People love that contest. I personally don’t think BCB and BCCI have any real issues anymore.” The former opener addressed

India are likely to tour Bangladesh in August for the upcoming ODI and T20I series.