New Delhi [India], January 23 (ANI): Former Indian cricketer Manoj Tiwary slammed Bangladesh's decision not to play their T20 World Cup matches in India, alleging political interference in the country's cricket board.

He questioned the security concerns, pointing out that Bangladesh's former PM Sheikh Hasina is safely residing in India, and wondered why players wouldn't be safe.

While speaking to ANI, Manoj Tiwary said, 'It wasn't from the board's side. Today, if you watched the press conference, the Sports Minister gave a statement to the media, saying there is a security risk, but the board president was standing right next to him. Generally, in other countries, the cricket board is an autonomous body, and political and ministerial involvement is limited only to organising the events. But in their country, politics has entered the picture, and political figures have become heavily involved in the board, and these kinds of decisions are emerging. Regarding the safety, if that's the question, then Sheikh Hasina also came to our country after the protests there, and she is safe here, isn't she? The central government of our country has provided her with good security and given her refuge here. So, if a country's Prime Minister can come and live safely here, then the players will definitely get safety.'

His remarks come after the International Cricket Council (ICC) denied Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) request to shift their ICC Men's T20 World Cup fixtures outside India. The T20 World Cup will kick off on February 7, with India and Sri Lanka to co-host the tournament.

There has been some strain in India's ties with Bangladesh over rising incidents of crimes against minorities in the country. Last year, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their Indian Premier League 2026 squad amid demands following atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

Following Rahman's removal from the IPL, BCB cited growing concerns about the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent as the reason for not travelling to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup.

Tiwary also said Bangladesh's decision not to play T20 World Cup matches in India is a loss for their players, who dream of performing in the World Cup. He believes the decision wasn't taken by the cricket board, highlighting political interference in sports. Tiwary reiterates that politics in sports leads to such decisions, affecting players' careers.

'This is a loss for the players. All the Bangladeshi players always want to play for their country, and it's their dream to participate in the World Cup and perform well there, which further brightens their individual careers. But what can the players do now? It wasn't in the players' hands, and the ICC's instruction was simply, 'Either you play, or you leave.' Why did the Bangladesh Cricket Board take such a decision, given that the ICC chairman and the ICC itself are so powerful? We know the board didn't take the decision. The Sports Ministry there took it, and I've always said that if politics enters sports, you see these kinds of things happening, and this time it's been proven again that politics has entered sports. Because of this, such a major decision was taken that they are not coming to play in the World Cup,' he added.

ICC on Wednesday rejected the BCB's request to move their matches out of India for the upcoming ICC Men's T20 World Cup via video conference, which was convened to discuss the way forward.

As per the current schedule, Bangladesh are scheduled to kick off their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign on February 7 against two-time champions West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata.

The Litton Das-led side will then face Italy on February 9 at the same venue before facing England in Kolkata again. After facing England, Bangladesh are scheduled to travel to Mumbai to play Nepal at Wankhede Stadium. (ANI)