The countdown to the 2026 T20 World Cup has already begun. Around the world, all teams are busy with their final-phase preparations. India are the defending champions. They will play ten T20 matches at home in December and January, aiming to sharpen their preparations even further. South Africa, New Zealand and other major teams are also busy finalizing their plans. They are working with new strategies and trying to keep their players match-ready. In any way possible, they are preparing their squads by arranging international matches ahead of the World Cup.
Amid this busy scenario, Bangladesh’s situation looks completely different. Before the World Cup, Bangladesh will not play any T20 series at all. Their last series was against Ireland, where they won 2–1. Before that, they suffered a 3–0 defeat to West Indies in Chattogram. Now all the players’ focus is on the BPL. The tournament starts on 26 December and will run right up until just before the World Cup. The World Cup will begin on 7 February in India and Sri Lanka. There will be only a two-week gap between the two tournaments.
Naturally, this has created concerns. Although the BPL is competitive, it does not offer the pressure of international cricket. The conditions in India and Sri Lanka also do not match those of the BPL. Bangladesh played 30 T20s in 2025, winning 15 of them — a record. But their performances still remain inconsistent. They have beaten Sri Lanka and Afghanistan, but also lost to the UAE. They suffered heavy defeats against Pakistan. Although they reached the Super Four in the Asia Cup, they could not make the final.
Bangladesh’s position in the list of teams and the number of T20s played before the World Cup increases the worry. India, South Africa, Pakistan, England and New Zealand will all play series right before the World Cup. Bangladesh, Afghanistan, Ireland and Zimbabwe will not play any matches.
Questions are rising about how much this type of preparation will help Bangladesh. While the BPL keeps players fit, it does not test them the way international cricket does. Now all eyes will be on how Bangladesh perform at the World Cup with such limited preparation.
Looking at the pre-World Cup international schedule, it is clear that the title-contending major teams want to build confidence by playing matches, while some others will enter the tournament with no international cricket at all.
