An ESPNcricinfo report on Sunday claimed that a final decision on Bangladesh’s participation in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup -- co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka and scheduled to begin on February 7 -- will be made by January 21.

The report added that the International Cricket Council (ICC) has already informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) of the deadline during discussions held in Dhaka on Saturday.

The BCB had demanded that Bangladesh’s T20 World Cup matches be relocated away from India, with Sri Lanka proposed as the preferred alternative. The board cited safety and security concerns as the reason for its refusal to send the national team to India for the marquee event. However, the ICC has remained firm on the existing schedule. Bangladesh have been placed in Group C and are slated to play all their group-stage matches in India -- three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai, the report said.

According to the report, the ICC has assured the BCB that there are no security threats for Bangladesh in India and has rejected a request to swap Bangladesh with Ireland in Group B. Such a move would have required Ireland to play their matches in India instead of Sri Lanka, where they are currently scheduled to compete.

“Those familiar with the ICC-BCB discussions have indicated that the ICC will wait for the BCB to take the final call. In case the BCB refuses to allow Bangladesh to travel to India, the ICC is likely to name a replacement team, which, based on current rankings, would be Scotland,” the report said.

The World Cup flashpoint emerged when Indian Premier League franchise Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladesh star pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their squad on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), despite having signed the left-armer for a record INR 9.2 crore at the IPL mini-auction last month. While no official reason was given for the removal of Mustafizur, Indian media reports suggested that pressure had been mounting on the franchise from several right-wing political and religious groups to remove him over concerns regarding the safety of minorities in Bangladesh.

In response, the BCB refused to allow the national team to travel across the border citing security concerns, while the country's government banned the broadcast of the IPL.