Ireland Decides Against Playing T20 World Cup in India

Cricket Ireland has announced that it will not participate in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup in India, citing safety concerns. However, the board has received assurance from the International Cricket Council (ICC) that their matches will not be moved from Sri Lanka.

An official from Cricket Ireland told Cricbuzz, "We have received a clear assurance that the scheduled fixtures will not change. We will definitely play our group-stage matches in Sri Lanka."

Ireland is placed in Group C alongside Sri Lanka, the co-host of the tournament, as well as Australia, Zimbabwe, and Oman. In contrast, Bangladesh, which is in Group B, has matches scheduled in Kolkata and Mumbai, where they will face England, West Indies, Nepal, and Italy.

This development follows Bangladesh's reluctance to travel to India, prompting the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to propose a potential group swap during meetings with the ICC in Dhaka on Saturday. BCB discussed moving to a different group with fewer logistical changes to address the concerns. However, neither the ICC nor Ireland was satisfied with the proposal, meaning Ireland's stance on playing in Sri Lanka remains unchanged.