India’s scheduled tour of Bangladesh next month could be postponed yet again, with Bangladesh Cricket Board president Tamim Iqbal confirming that discussions with the BCCI over the series are still ongoing. India are currently scheduled to play three ODIs and three T20Is in Bangladesh, beginning with the opening ODI on September 3. However, with less than two weeks remaining before the proposed start of the tour, uncertainty continues over whether the series will go ahead on the announced dates.
“Both boards remain in discussion about the India series,” Tamim said at a press conference in Dhaka. “The dates may be shifted here or there.” The latest uncertainty emerged after the BCB announced the schedule for its new age-group competition, the Game Development Trophy. All matches in the tournament are currently scheduled to take place at the Shere Bangla National Stadium in Mirpur between August 28 and September 9, overlapping with India’s proposed tour.
Asked whether the scheduling of the tournament indicated that India’s visit was unlikely to take place as planned, Tamim insisted that the domestic competition could be moved at short notice. “This tournament is being held in Mirpur but it can be shifted to the Basundhara ground in two minutes,” he said. “If the India series is locked and fixed, we will schedule it accordingly.”
India tour already postponed once
India’s visit was initially scheduled for August 2025 before being postponed to September 2026. The BCB subsequently announced in January that the teams would play three ODIs and three T20Is across Dhaka and Chattogram. The BCCI, however, has not publicly announced or confirmed the itinerary, leaving doubts over the series even as the proposed opening match approaches.
Relations between the two cricket boards had also deteriorated significantly earlier this year. Tensions intensified after Kolkata Knight Riders withdrew Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL. The BCB, then led by Aminul Islam, later declined to send Bangladesh to the T20 World Cup co-hosted by India. There have, however, been signs of an improvement in relations since Tamim took over as BCB president. Earlier this month, he travelled to India and reportedly visited the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence in Bengaluru.
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Tamim’s latest remarks suggest the tour has not been called off, but the dates remain fluid. With September 3 rapidly approaching, both boards will now need to finalise the itinerary soon if the six-match series is to take place during the originally announced window.