The International Cricket Council (ICC) has officially removed Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026 and replaced them with Scotland, following the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s refusal to send their team to India.
The announcement ends more than three weeks of intensive negotiations between the ICC and BCB, during which Bangladesh repeatedly demanded that their matches be shifted from India to Sri Lanka over security concerns. The tournament is set to begin on February 7 across venues in India and Sri Lanka.
ICC has said that their security experts found no legitimate threat to the Bangladesh team, players, or supporters traveling to India for the World Cup. Despite sharing comprehensive security arrangements involving federal and state agencies, BCB maintained its position that the team will not travel to Indian venues.
As per details, the breaking point came after Wednesday’s emergency meeting of the ICC Business Corporation Board, which gave Bangladesh a 24-hour ultimatum to confirm their participation under the existing schedule. When the deadline passed without any response from the BCB, the governing body moved forward with finding a replacement.
The controversy stems largely from a recent IPL incident where Bangladeshi fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the tournament after receiving threats from Hindu extremist groups.
Bangladesh used the incident to argue that if India couldn’t protect a single player in their domestic league, how could they ensure the safety of an entire national team during the World Cup.
The ICC, however, dismissed the reasoning, clarifying that the IPL matter was a separate domestic issue unrelated to the World Cup’s security infrastructure.
Officials emphasized that linking the two events was inappropriate and did not justify altering the tournament schedule.
BCB president Aminul Islam has accused the ICC of applying different standards, pointing to how the governing body accommodated India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy.
In justifying their decision, ICC officials stressed that making last-minute schedule changes without a verified security threat would create a dangerous precedent.
They argued that this could encourage teams to make similar demands in the future, potentially undermining the neutrality and fairness that international cricket tournaments depend on.
Scotland now steps in as Bangladesh’s replacement, taking their spot in Group C.
The Scots are currently ranked 14th in T20 internationals, making them the highest-ranked team that didn’t initially qualify for the tournament. Interestingly, they rank higher than seven teams already in the competition, including Namibia, UAE, Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman, and Italy.
Bangladesh had been scheduled to play three matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. Scotland will inherit these fixtures in the 20-team tournament running until March 8, marking a significant opportunity for Scottish cricket on the global stage.