The Nirvik Bureau, Bhubaneswar, 6 February 2026
How PCB and BCB Saved Cricket From…Cricket
On the eve of the T20 World Cup, the world waited for big scores and bigger chases. Instead, PCB and BCB produced something far more dramatic: a boycott chain reaction so perfectly stupid it should be preserved in the ICC archives under “Do Not Repeat (But We Will).”
All this, because one Bangladeshi player was dropped from an IPL franchise. One guy. One team. One league. Result: three boards, two boycotts, one wrecked World Cup.
Somewhere, the player probably just wanted to work on his yorker. He accidentally triggered a full-scale cricketing crisis.
From Team Selection to National Emergency
KKR decides not to retain a Bangladesh player. Normally, this is called “selection.” In the subcontinent, this is rebranded as “geo-political disrespect with optional moral outrage.”
BCB swings into action.
The BCB President thunders at a press conference:
“If our players can be dropped from a franchise, our entire team can be dropped from a country.”
A reporter gently asks, “Sir, isn’t that how contracts and auctions usually work?”
“You don’t understand,” he replies. “This is not about cricket. This is about feelings. And our feelings have security concerns.”
Thus, Bangladesh bravely announces it will not play World Cup matches in India due to “security reasons” that mysteriously appeared only after one IPL snub.
PCB Discovers Solidarity (And Free Attention)
Not to be outdone in the drama department, PCB charges onto the stage like a method actor who studied only headlines.
PCB Chief declares:
“We stand with Bangladesh. If they won’t play in India, we will not play India. This is about dignity, not run rate.”
A journalist points out, “But sir, India vs Pakistan is the biggest money-spinner of the tournament.”
“Exactly,” he smiles. “This sacrifice proves our principles. Also, if the ICC wants us to reconsider, they can send that in writing. With improved revenue share.”
Solidarity, it turns out, comes with terms and conditions.
So now the logic is:
- Bangladesh is offended by KKR.
- So Bangladesh won’t play in India.
- So Pakistan won’t play India anywhere.
- So fans won’t see the one match they actually plan their lives around.
Brilliant.
BCCI: “We Are Shocked Anybody Said No to Us”
Over in Mumbai, BCCI sits in its glass tower, staring at spreadsheets that suddenly look thinner.
A senior BCCI official, off the record, fumes:
“How can they boycott us? This is like a sponsor boycotting visibility. It makes no commercial sense.”
When asked if dropping the player was worth this mess, another official shrugs:
“It was a franchise decision. We love Bangladesh players. We love Pakistan players. We mostly love the TRPs. Why is everyone so emotional?”
Translation: “We’re businessmen. Why are the politicians in track suits making this so unnecessarily complicated?”
ICC: Spirit of Cricket, Spine of Jelly
The ICC, caught in the crossfire as usual, springs into its favourite formation: the emergency working group.
After hours of meetings, an ICC spokesperson announces:
“We respect the sovereign decisions of our member boards while strongly encouraging them to take decisions that respect the global cricketing family.”
Nobody knows what that means, including the person who said it.
In private, one ICC executive sighs:
“We scheduled India–Pakistan three times for maximum reach. Now we’re left with ‘Team A vs TBA, subject to boycott status.’ The algorithm is traumatised.”
Instead of decisive action, ICC offers what it always does: gently worded uselessness.
Other Boards: “Please, Continue Fighting”
In the background, boards from other countries are quietly delighted.
A senior official from a smaller board jokes to a colleague:
“Let them boycott each other. We’ll take the prime-time slots and the semi-final spots. We have no ego, just airfare issues.”
When told viewership may dip without India–Pakistan, he grins:
“Yes, but for once people might notice our players’ names. This is historic for us.”
While the big boys throw tantrums, the “minnows” get a rare upgrade.
The Fans: Hostages With Jerseys
And then there are the fans, the only people in this circus who actually care about cricket more than press releases.
An Indian fan says:
“I took leave, booked a projector, ordered snacks, prepared one month of trash talk. Now? I’m watching highlights from 2011 again.”
A Pakistani fan adds:
“We finally had a chance to beat India on a big stage again. Our board decided we should beat them morally instead. I checked—moral victories don’t count on the points table.”
A Bangladesh fan mutters:
“We lost a player from IPL. In return we lost World Cup matches in India, extra exposure, big crowds and money for our board. I think we’ve overcorrected.”
The boards talk about “the fans” in every statement. The only thing they won’t do for the fans is let them actually watch the games they want.
Final Scorecard: Ego 10, Cricket 0
When the dust settles:
- PCB gets to say, “We stood by Bangladesh.”
- BCB gets to say, “We stood up to India.”
- BCCI gets to say, “We did nothing wrong.”
- ICC gets to say, “We held meaningful discussions.”
- The dropped player still doesn’t get his IPL spot back.
But:
- The boards lose revenue they will never admit they needed.
- Broadcasters lose matches they already sold ads for.
- Players lose the biggest stage for their careers.
- Fans lose the rivalries that make tournaments unforgettable.
The World Cup will still have a winner. The trophy will still be lifted. The presentations will still thank “the wonderful organizers.”
But history will remember this edition for something else: the time powerful men in suits decided that the best way to protest a selection decision…was to not play cricket at all.
In their obsession with sending a message, they forgot the only one that matters:
The game is bigger than your ego.
