The BCB and the ICC have not yet reached a resolution over Bangladesh’s refusal to play their 2026 T20 World Cup matches in India due to security concerns, despite the tournament starting in three weeks time.

The two parties had a meeting on Saturday after which the BCB issued a statement saying they will “continue engaging in constructive dialogue on this matter”. The 2026 T20 World Cup, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to begin on February 7.

“During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka,” the board said in a statement. “The Board also shared the Bangladesh government’s views and concerns on safety and security of the team, Bangladeshi fans, media and other stakeholders.

“The discussions were conducted in a constructive, cordial and professional manner, with all parties engaging openly on the relevant issues. Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimum logistical adjustments was discussed.”

Bangladesh are in Group C at the T20 World Cup along with England, Nepal, West Indies and Italy, and are currently scheduled to play their first three matches in Kolkata and their final one in Mumbai.

“The ICC delegation was represented by Gaurav Saxena, General Manager, Events and Corporate Communications, and Andrew Ephgrave, General Manager, Integrity Unit. Gaurav Saxena was unable to attend the meeting in person as his visa was received later than anticipated and therefore joined the discussions virtually. Andrew Ephgrave attended the meeting in person.”

The BCB was represented at the meeting by board president Aminul Islam, vice presidents Shakawath Hossain and Faruque Ahmed, director and chairman of the cricket operations committee Nazmul Abedeen and CEO Nizam Uddin Chowdhury.

The problem of Bangladesh playing in India arose once the BCCI instructed Ko;kata Knight Riders to remove Mustafizur from its IPL 2026 squad. No reason has been specified for that decision, though relations between the two countries have deteriorated of late.

Following Mustafizur’s removal, the Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of the IPL in the country, and the BCB sent a letter to the ICC refusing to play its T20 World Cup matches in India, a stance it has stuck to during several subsequent meetings with the ICC.

A risk assessment report for the T20 World Cup, compiled by an independent security agency, and accessed by ESPNcricinfo, says the threat to teams playing in India is in the moderate-high band, but there is “no information to indicate a direct threat against participating teams.”

[Cricinfo]

Smriti Mandhana became the ninth player to enter the 90s in the WPL.  For a large part of her knock, she looked set to end the tournament’s century drought: she needed just four and Royal Challengers Bengaluru (RCB) were 12 away from their 167-run target. She missed out though, falling for 96 off 61, but RCB went onto seal their fourth successive win.

Lucy Hamilton whose cameo with the bat earlier in the evening got Delhi Capitals (DC) to a total of 166, dived to her right at backward point to deny Mandhana and extend the WPL’s wait for its first centurion.

For a third time in this season, RCB’s new-ball bowlers had a big say in the win. Thanks to Lauren Bell and Savali Satghare, they picked up four wickets in the first nine balls after opting to chase. Shafali Verma then resisted with a half-century and aided by a 19-ball 36 by debutant Hamilton at No. 9, DC managed to get to a respectable total.

But it was never going to challenge RCB, especially with Mandhana being in sublime form. Georgia Voll struck an unbeaten half-century as well and ensured RCB got home with eight wickets and ten balls to spare.

RCB ended the Navi Mumbai leg of the WPL with an unblemished record in four games while DC were dealt their third defeat in four matches.

Playing her first WPL season, Bell has been a revelation for RCB with the new ball. She began with a short ball which Lizelle Lee pulled with disdain through backward square leg. But next ball, she speared in a swinging yorker on leg stump. Lee’s weight was on the back foot expecting another short ball and was bowled behind her legs. Two balls later, Bell got through Laura Wolvaardt’s bat-pad gap to castle her for a two-ball duck. Having bowled outswingers till then, Bell got one to nip back in from a length and had Wolvaardt play down the wrong line.

From the other end Satghare, brought in for Arundhati Reddy who was unwell, produced a double-strike of her own. Her Mumbai team-mate Jemimah Rodrigues greeted her by scooping her for four through fine leg first ball. But Satghare shifted the line to outside off and got it to move in a little. Rodrigues went for the dab but chopped it onto the stumps. On the very next ball, Marizanne Kapp could do little about a length ball that held its line and hit top of off. DC were 10 for 4 in the second over.

While the damage was being done at the other end, Shafali watched helplessly, having faced just the one ball – the first of the game. When her turn to take strike came in the third over, she shimmied down the track and missed a length ball. She looked to pull another but only got an under-edge. She mistimed a double towards midwicket before punching one off the middle of the bat to end the over. That got her going.

Shafali then hit two sixes in the next over from Satghare, followed it with two more fours in the fifth over. She had scored 30 of the 41 DC had after five overs, and was well set by the time Shreyanka Patil came on to bowl. She saw Niki Prasad being dropped on Patil’s first ball, and then got an outside edge for four. When her turn to take strike came, she went dot, six, six to help take 19 from the last over of the powerplay.

DC were 60 for 4 after six overs, but Shafali faced only four balls in the next four overs. She soon got to a 27-ball half-century and fell for a 41-ball 62 when she scythed a Bell slower ball to backward point.

Kapp had dismissed Grace Harris five times in 24 innings before Saturday, and that seemed to play on Harris’ mind. She looked tentative against the new ball, a single coming via an inside edge off Kapp. The DC allrounder got the better of Harris when she toe-ended a loft to wide mid-off. That brought Voll, who came in the XI for D Hemalatha, in at No. 3. While she took her time, Mandhana was at her fluent best.

She hit three fours – two pulls and one square drive – in Hamilton’s first over, then a four and a six off Kapp and Nandani Sharma respectively. Despite that RCB could manage only 37 for 1 in six overs. Mandhana then toyed with spinners N Shree Charani and Sneh Rana, getting back-to-back fours against each of them and got to fifty off 31 balls. She relied more on placement than power. Once Mandhana fell, Voll got to her half-century off 41 balls and sealed the win.

Mandhana and Voll added 142 for the second wicket, the third highest partnership for any wicket in the WPL, setting the tone for the Vadodara leg, which starts on January 19.

Brief scores:
Royal Challengers Bengaluru Women 169 for 2 in 18.2 overs (Smriti Mandhana 96, Georgia Voll 54*; Matizanne Kapp 1-21, Nandani Sharma 1-34) beat Delhi Capitals Women 166 in 20 overs (Shafali Varma 62, Niki Prasad 12, Sneh Rana 22, Lucy Hamilton 36, Shree Charani 11*; Lauren Bell 3-26, Sayali Satghare 3-27, Nadine de Klerk 1-31, Prema Rayat 2-16) by eight wickets

[Cricinfo]