NEW DELHI: BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has criticised Pakistan for unnecessarily interfering in the Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026 matter. He said Pakistan is provoking Bangladesh without any reason and trying to influence their decision, which he called completely wrong. Shukla explained that Pakistan’s intervention is baseless and misleading. He added that the country has a history of mistreatment towards Bangladeshis, and now their actions are attempting to misguide the board. "Pakistan is intervening in the matter without any reason and provoking Bangladesh. Everyone knows the brutality done by Pakistan on the Bangladeshis, and now they are trying to mislead them, which is completely wrong," he told ANI. The Bangladesh Cricket Board had decided a few days earlier to withdraw from the tournament, citing security concerns. The move came after the International Cricket Council (ICC) repeatedly rejected their requests to shift venues. BCCI offered full security to Bangladesh He further explained that India had offered full security to Bangladesh, but since the board had already decided to pull out, it was not possible to rearrange the tournament schedule at the last moment. Shukla told ANI, "We wanted Bangladesh to play, and we also assured full security, but since they have made this decision, it is very difficult to change the entire schedule at the last moment. This is why Scotland was brought in." The issue first drew attention in early January when Kolkata Knight Riders released Mustafizur Rahman. Since then, tensions escalated as Bangladesh raised security concerns for their players traveling to India, though these claims were not supported by proper proof. The ICC did not approve Bangladesh’s multiple requests to change venues. With Scotland now officially replacing Bangladesh, the BCCI can move forward with the tournament as planned.