Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026: Najmul Hossain Shanto says players “Act” amid controversy

Bangladesh Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto says the team faces off-field controversies ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026 but must “act” like nothing is affecting them. The final decision on their participation is still pending.

The Bangladesh cricket team is facing challenges off the field ahead of the T20 World Cup in February-March. Test captain Najmul Hossain Shanto said that controversies around the team make it difficult for players, but they often have to “act” as if nothing is wrong.

Shanto speaks on the impact of controversies

“We haven’t got a good result in any World Cup. We had a good opportunity last time [at the T20 World Cup in 2024], but we couldn’t do it. But you will notice that before every World Cup, there’s some incident that takes place,” Shanto said on Friday, responding to questions about Bangladesh’s ongoing participation controversy.

Players must ‘act’ despite challenges

“As a player who has played one or two of these tournaments, I can tell you that it affects us. But we ‘act’ as if nothing affects us since we are professional cricketers. Even you know that it affects us. It is not easy. It is better if these things didn’t happen. I think the players still try to keep all things aside to perform well.

“I would also add that this thing is beyond our control. Wherever we play the World Cup ultimately, I would think that the players have to act like nothing is bothering them, and they can do well for the team.”

The final decision on Bangladesh’s participation in the T20 World Cup is still pending, less than a month before the tournament begins.

Controversy over Mustafizur Rahman and IPL 2026

The controversy started after the BCCI asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to remove Mustafizur Rahman, signed for INR 9.2 crore, from the IPL 2026. While security concerns were not explicitly mentioned, political and religious leaders had pressured KKR owner Shah Rukh Khan over signing Mustafizur amid tensions between Bangladesh and India.

In response, the Bangladesh government suspended the IPL broadcast in the country, and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) informed the ICC that the team would prefer to play their matches in Sri Lanka due to security concerns.

Shanto, who is not in the current T20 squad, led Bangladesh in the previous T20 World Cup and was part of the 2023 ODI World Cup campaign in India.

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