Cricket diplomacy: The ice between India and Bangladesh has melted, a new beginning will be made with the ‘Mahamukabale’ in September!

New Delhi. The rivalry between India and Bangladesh on the cricket field has always been high-voltage. But for the last one year, not only political but also cricket relations between the two countries had gone on the back burner. Sometimes there were threats to withdraw from the T20 World Cup, and sometimes withdrawal of players from the IPL. It seemed that the ‘classic match’ of cricket between the two neighboring countries would now become history for a long time. But now a big and relieving news is coming for cricket fans. The ice between the two countries finally seems to be melting, and cricket relations between the two countries are set to resume with an explosive 6-match white-ball series (3 ODIs and 3 T20s) in September.

The biggest twist in this whole matter came when Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Wednesday released the tender for television and digital media rights of its domestic international matches for 2026-2027. The thing that caught everyone’s attention in this confidential tender was ‘India’s tour of Bangladesh 2026’. This bidding process, which started from July 2 and ended on July 22, has made it clear that even though BCCI is avoiding saying anything in front of the cameras, the round of talks between the two boards behind the scenes has been successful.

What was the dispute?
In August last year, BCCI had postponed the tour of Bangladesh citing busy schedule. After this, the tension in the relationship increased further when Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman had to leave Kolkata Knight Riders in the middle of the IPL. The matter became worse when Bangladesh had indicated to refuse to play in the 2026 T20 World Cup citing security reasons. But, recently BCCI rejected the request of Sri Lanka Cricket in which they wanted to add 3 additional T20 matches on India’s tour of Sri Lanka. This ‘no’ statement by BCCI was an indication that the Indian Board has reserved its window for the series with Bangladesh in September.

What will the possible schedule be like?
If everything goes as per plan, the Indian team will step on the soil of Dhaka on 28th August. After this the real adventure will begin. The thrill of the 3-match ODI series can take place on 1, 3 and 6 September where both the teams will clash for the supremacy of Asia. After this, the Indian team can play three T20 matches on 9, 12 and 13 September.

The final decision is in the hands of the government
However, the final climax of this entire story is still pending. BCCI Secretary Devjit Saikia had recently made it clear that the Indian Board has nothing to do with the political system of Bangladesh or its governance. The final decision on whether Team India will go to play across the border or not will completely depend on the instructions and security clearance of the Government of India. At present, BCB has put the ball in India’s court by issuing the tender.