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DHAKA: Aminul Haque, the new sports minister of Bangladesh, has expressed his desire to quickly ease tensions with India following the national team’s absence from the ongoing ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, stressing the importance of maintaining friendly ties with neighbouring nations.
Speaking on Tuesday after taking the oath with the new cabinet, Aminul revealed he had already opened dialogue with Indian officials.
“After taking the oath today, I met with the deputy high commissioner of India at the Parliament building. I discussed the T20 World Cup with him,” he said, describing the interaction as cordial and constructive.
“We want to resolve this issue quickly through discussions because we want to maintain friendly relations with all our neighbouring countries.”
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the ongoing global event, jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, after the previous government opted against sending the team to India amid geopolitical tensions.
The situation escalated when the Indian government reportedly asked Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to remove Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad, eventually leading to Bangladesh’s exclusion from the tournament.
In a positive development for the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), the ICC confirmed on February 9 that it would not face any penalty for refusing to play matches in India.
Additionally, the board has been granted hosting rights for an out-of-turn ICC event before the 2031 Men’s ODI World Cup, which Bangladesh will co-host with India.
Aminul reiterated his government’s broader vision of rebuilding ties.
“From sports to all other sectors, we want to build a sincere and cordial relationship with India,” he said.
“Because of diplomatic complications, we could not play in the World Cup. If those issues had been discussed and settled earlier, our team might have participated.”
Despite recent tensions, bilateral cricket remains on the calendar, with India scheduled to tour Bangladesh in September for three ODIs and three T20Is, a series originally planned for August 2025 that was postponed.
