Bangladesh's chances of participating in the upcoming T20 World Cup are fading day by day. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has repeatedly requested the ICC to hold its matches outside India due to security reasons. On the other hand, the world cricket's highest body is also trying to convince them to play on Indian soil. Meanwhile, the possibility of a group change has emerged in discussions between both sides.

The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup will be held in Sri Lanka alongside India from February 7. As a result, there are rumors of a group swap with a team that has played its matches in Sri Lanka. Ireland and Bangladesh were considered as possible teams in Group 'C'. That is, Ireland will also change groups and play in 'B' instead of Bangladesh. But Cricket Ireland (CI) has ruled out such a possibility.

The BCB and the ICC held a meeting in Dhaka on Saturday on the World Cup issue. In a later statement, the BCB said that the possibility of changing the group in the World Cup also came up for discussion, saying, "The meeting was held in a constructive, cordial and professional atmosphere. Both sides exchanged views on relevant issues through open discussions. At one stage of the discussion, the possibility of including Bangladesh in a different group was also considered to simplify the matter by keeping the logistical or organizational changes as minimal as possible."

Cricket Ireland has since said it has received assurances from the ICC that its World Cup group will not be changed. Citing contact with the world cricket body, a CI spokesperson told Cricbuzz, "We have received specific assurances that our scheduled schedule (for the World Cup) will not be changed. We are definitely going to play the group stage matches in Sri Lanka."

Ireland's World Cup schedule has all its matches scheduled for Sri Lanka. In Group 'C', they will be pitted against hosts Sri Lanka, Australia, Zimbabwe and Oman. Bangladesh will play three group stage matches in Kolkata, India, and another in Mumbai. In Group 'B', they will be pitted against former world champions West Indies, England and Nepal, and Italy.