DUBAI: The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Tuesday that this year’s ICC Women’s T20 World Cup will be relocated from Bangladesh due to recent political unrest and violence in the country.
The ninth edition of the tournament will now be held in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from October 3 to 20. The event will take place across two venues, Dubai and Sharjah, while the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will continue to be the host board.
Bangladesh’s prime minister, Sheikh Hasina, fled the country earlier this month amid widespread protests, leading to the establishment of an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.
ICC chief executive Geoff Allardice expressed regret over the move, stating, “It is a shame not to be hosting the Women’s T20 World Cup in Bangladesh as we know the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) would have staged a memorable event. I’d like to thank the BCB for their efforts to keep the event in Bangladesh, but travel advisories from several participating teams made this infeasible.”
Allardice added that while the hosting rights remain with the BCB, the UAE will step in to host this year’s event. He also thanked the Emirates Cricket Board, as well as Sri Lanka and Zimbabwe, for their offers of support, looking forward to ICC global events in those countries in 2026.
The UAE, which houses the ICC headquarters, has recently become a major cricket hub, having hosted several qualifier tournaments and the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup in 2021 alongside Oman.
