New Delhi: Team India’s white-ball tour of Bangladesh, which was set to feature the return of star players like Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma, is on the verge of getting cancelled or postponed due to escalating diplomatic tensions between the two countries.
According to a Cricbuzz report, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has decided to pause the sale of its media rights. The technical bidding was scheduled for Monday (July 7), and the financial bidding was slated to follow on Thursday (July 10).
The BCB remains hopeful that the limited-over series against India can be rescheduled for a later date. The board had planned to sell the media rights for a two-year cycle from July 2025 to June 2027. But, the board is now aiming to sell the media rights for the T20I home series against Pakistan, which will start from July 17.
“We will continue, we will take time to research the market. There is no point in rushing things. We can give different contracts,” a BCB official said as quoted by Cricbuzz. He further added that the date for the India series hasn’t been fixed yet, and the BCCI said it’s difficult for them to come in August.
An Indian broadcaster told the same website that the BCB has informed them that there is no series against India, and after announcing the tender, they did not provide the ITT to them and are only selling for the Pakistan series. Due to the diplomatic standoff between the two countries, the government advised the Indian cricket board not to proceed with the tour.
It was reported on Thursday that the Indian government has given permission for the Pakistan hockey team to travel to India for the Asia Cup, which is scheduled to begin in Rajgir, Bihar, from August 29 to September 7.
Bangladesh home schedule
The Bangla Tigers are scheduled to play 49 home international matches in the current cycle, which will end in May 2027, including eight Test matches against Ireland, Pakistan, West Indies and England. They will also play 20 ODI games and 21 T20Is during the cycle.