BANGLADESH have asked to play their upcoming T20 World Cup fixtures outside of India amid increasingly strained relations between the countries.

The Tigers are scheduled to play their fixture against England and two others at Kolkata’s Eden Gardens next month before rounding off their group stage campaign at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.

However, Bangladesh left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman was released by Indian Premier League side Kolkata Knight Riders at the instruction of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) on Saturday.

That led to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) convening an emergency meeting, the conclusion of which has seen them petition the International Cricket Council (ICC) to avoid having to play their matches in India.

A BCB statement said: “The board reviewed the situation in detail, taking into account developments over the last 24 hours, and expressed deep concern over the overall circumstances surrounding the participation of the Bangladesh national team in matches scheduled to be played in India.

“Following a thorough assessment of the prevailing situation and the growing concerns regarding the safety and security of the Bangladesh contingent in India and considering the advice from the Bangladesh government, the board of directors resolved that the Bangladesh national team will not travel to India for the tournament under the current conditions.

“In light of this decision, the BCB has formally requested the International Cricket Council, as the event authority, to consider relocating all of Bangladesh’s matches to a venue outside India.

“The board believes that such a step is necessary to safeguard the safety and wellbeing of Bangladeshi players, team officials, board members and other stakeholders and to ensure that the team can participate in the tournament in a secure and appropriate environment.”

The Press Association has contacted the ICC for a response.

The BCB’s request threatens to throw the tournament which starts on February 7 into further confusion, with Pakistan playing all their matches in Sri Lanka because of the fraught geopolitical tensions with India.