Kohli, Rohit's Return Series 'Cancelled' Over Diplomatic Conflict: Report

India's upcoming white-ball tour of Bangladesh is all but off, amid deteriorating political relations between the two nations. According to a report, the tour which was scheduled to take place between August 17 to 31, comprising of three ODIs and three T20Is, is "effectively off". While the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is hopeful that the series can be rescheduled for a later date, it has also paused the sale of the tour's media rights. According to a report in Cricbuzz, the BCB is currently focused on selling media rights for the forthcoming home series against Pakistan, starting July 17

"We will continue, we will take time to research the market. There is no point in rushing things. We can give different contracts," a BCB official told Cricbuzz.

The report, however, added that the Indian broadcasters have been informed that the series won't happen

"They have informed us that there is no India series. After announcing the tender, they did not provide the ITT. They are selling, for now, only for the Pakistan series," an Indian broadcaster told Cricbuzz.

Notably, there has been a cross-border tension between India and Pakistan ever since the Pahalgam attack and Bangladesh too had joined the tussle.

The final call on the future of the series is expected to be announced within a week.

"The date for the India series hasn't been fixed yet. They (the BCCI) said it's difficult for them to come in August. This is part of FTP," the BCB official added.

BCB await a green light  from the Indian government, who have remained non-committal about the series.

"The mood in India, perceptibly, is not particularly favourable for a tour of Bangladesh, with relations between the two neighbours having been strained in recent times. While no official statement has been made by either side, it is believed that, in light of the diplomatic standoff, the government has advised the BCCI against proceeding with the tour. This impression has emerged from conversations with key stakeholders involved in the series," the report further stated.

Meanwhile, sources told NDTV that the Indian government has allowed the Pakistani team from playing in the upcoming multi-nation tournaments in India.

A ministry source said on Thursday that Pakistan's hockey teams will not be stopped from competing in next month's Asia Cup and the subsequent Junior World Cup in India as any move to block the arch-foes from multilateral competitions in the country would be a violation of the Olympic Charter.

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