Aminul Haque hopeful of India's Bangladesh tour in September: Details
What's the story
Bangladesh's State Minister for Youth and Sports, Aminul Haque, has expressed hopes of hosting India in September. He believes that any distance between the two countries can be bridged through sporting diplomacy. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had earlier announced plans to host India for a three-match ODI and T20I series in August-September 2026. This was after a previous tour scheduled for 2025 was canceled due to diplomatic tensions between the two nations.
Diplomatic challenges
Tensions between Bangladesh and India
The relationship between Bangladesh and India has been tense lately.
The then Yunus-led government withdrew the national team from the 202T20 World Cup in India over security concerns, raising doubts about the upcoming tour.
However, with BCB putting up television and media rights for sale earlier this month for India's series, hopes of a successful tour are rising.
Tour prospects
No IND-SL T20Is clear path for BD visit
The optimism for the Bangladesh-India series has grown further after India's tour of Sri Lanka in August didn't include T20Is, unlike earlier talks.
This could potentially clear the way for India's visit to Bangladesh.
The BCB has also assured that they will beef up security measures for the India series if necessary.
Uncertainty looms
Media rights sale process put on hold
Despite the initial optimism, doubts over the series have emerged after BCB put the media rights sale process on hold. This was first reported by Cricbuzz on July 1.
However, Haque remains hopeful about the series, saying "the current government is giving utmost importance to sports diplomacy."
He added that both sides are waiting for India to come to Bangladesh in September.