ICC Replaces Bangladesh with Scotland in 2026 T20 World Cup

Bangla Press Desk: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the 2026 T20 World Cup following Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India over security concerns.

The decision was formally communicated to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Friday evening, ending nearly three weeks of discussions between the two sides. The tournament is scheduled to begin on February 7 in India.

The move came after the BCB informed the ICC that the Bangladesh government had not granted permission for the national team to travel to India. In response, the ICC held an emergency board meeting via video conference on Wednesday, during which a majority of directors voted in favour of replacing Bangladesh if it continued to seek relocation of its matches to Sri Lanka.

Following the meeting, the ICC stated that rescheduling the tournament so close to its start date was not feasible. It added that altering the schedule without a credible security threat could jeopardise the integrity of future ICC events and undermine the organisation’s neutrality as the global governing body.

Bangladesh had been placed in Group C, with three matches scheduled in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. These fixtures have now been reassigned to Scotland.

The BCB had indicated it would take the matter to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC). However, the DRC does not function as an appellate body against decisions taken by the ICC or its authorised committees, limiting the scope of any challenge.

On Thursday, both the BCB and the Bangladesh government reiterated that the team would not travel to India. BCB President Aminul Islam criticised the ICC for what he described as “double standards”, comparing the situation to India’s decision not to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy.

The security concerns were initially raised after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from its IPL 2026 squad earlier this month. The BCB cited the incident in its correspondence with the ICC.

The ICC rejected the linkage, stating that the issue involving a player’s participation in a domestic league was isolated and unrelated to the tournament’s security framework.

After granting the BCB a final deadline to obtain government clearance and receiving no confirmation, the ICC confirmed that the replacement of Bangladesh with Scotland was final.

BP/TI