NEW DELHI: Former India spinner Harbhajan Singh on Monday weighed in on the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s request to the International Cricket Council seeking a change of venue for their matches in the T20 World Cup, citing security concerns in India.

Harbhajan said India has always been open to hosting all teams, but underlined that the final call rests with Bangladesh on whether they choose to play in the country.

He added that it is now up to the ICC to assess and rule on the request, with the BCB having expressed apprehensions over the safety of its players for the tournament, which will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka.

Bangladesh suspends IPL 2026 telecast following Mustafizur Rahman row

“Due to the various events that have taken place in the past few days, Bangladesh does not want to come to India. Whatever happened in Bangladesh is wrong. ICC needs to make a decision on their request. We welcome everyone to India, but whether they (Bangladesh) want to come here or not is their choice,” Harbhajan told ANI.

This move comes after Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) confirmed they had dropped Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad, following instructions from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) concerning reported atrocities against minorities in Bangladesh.

The decision by KKR came in the wake of BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia’s statement that the board had directed the franchise to release Rahman “due to the recent developments.”

“Due to the recent developments which is going on all across, BCCI has instructed the franchise KKR to release one of their players, Mustafizur Rahman of Bangladesh, from their squad, and BCCI has also said that if they ask for any replacement, BCCI is going to allow that replacement,” Devaijit Saikia had told ANI.