Haque Moves to Repair India Cricket Ties After T20 World Cup Fallout

Aminul Haque, Bangladesh’s newly appointed sports minister, has signaled his intent to swiftly mend relations with India’s cricket authorities following the country’s absence from the ongoing men’s T20 World Cup.

Speaking on Tuesday after the swearing-in of the new cabinet, Haque said he had already initiated discussions 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. “It was a cordial conversation. I told him that 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 tournament, which is being jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka, after the previous government opted not to send the national team to play matches in India due to geopolitical tensions. The situation escalated when the Indian government reportedly asked Kolkata Knight Riders to remove Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad for the 2026 season of the Indian Premier League. The dispute ultimately led to the International Cricket Council excluding Bangladesh from the marquee event.

Despite the setback, Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials received a boost earlier this month when the ICC announced on February 9 that Bangladesh would not face penalties for declining to play their matches in India. In addition, the BCB was awarded hosting rights for an out-of-turn ICC event ahead of the 2031 men’s ODI World Cup, which Bangladesh is set to co-host with India.

Haque emphasized the broader importance of diplomatic and sporting ties between the two neighbours. “From sports to all other sectors, we want to build a sincere and cordial relationship [with India],” he said. “You know that 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.”

India are scheduled to tour Bangladesh in September for a white-ball series comprising three One-Day Internationals and three T20 Internationals. The tour, originally planned for August 2025, was rescheduled prior to the recent developments.

With bilateral fixtures on the horizon, Haque’s early diplomatic outreach signals a potential thaw in cricketing relations between the two countries after a turbulent period.