Scotland have officially replaced Bangladesh at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, the International Cricket Council announced on Friday, January 23.
Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament citing security concerns, stating that the assurances provided by the ICC were insufficient. India Today learnt on Saturday, January 24, that the ICC communicated its decision to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) through a formal letter. The move followed a meeting of the ICC in Dubai on Friday, convened by chairman Jay Shah, to determine Bangladesh’s participation in the event.
In a final attempt to overturn the decision, the BCB sought to refer the matter to the ICC’s dispute resolution committee. However, the committee clarified that it could not act as an appellate body and allowed the ICC’s decision to stand. With the BCB failing to confirm participation by the deadline set by the ICC, the governing body proceeded with Bangladesh’s replacement. The BCB later announced its decision to boycott the tournament after consultations with the players.
Where will Scotland play?
The decision opened the door for Scotland, who have featured in five T20 World Cups, including the 2022 and 2024 editions. While they did not progress beyond the group stage in either tournament, Scotland delivered competitive performances, notably challenging Australia and England in 2024.
Although Scotland finished behind Italy, the Netherlands and Jersey in the European qualifiers, they were selected as Bangladesh’s replacement based on ICC rankings.
Scotland have been placed in Group C, alongside England, the West Indies, Italy and Nepal. Their campaign will begin against the West Indies on February 7 in Kolkata, followed by fixtures against Italy on February 9 and England on February 14 at Eden Gardens. Scotland will complete their group-stage matches against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.
Why did Bangladesh pull out?
Bangladesh’s decision not to travel to India is understood to have been influenced by concerns following the BCCI’s request to Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. While no official link was established, broader diplomatic tensions between India and Bangladesh were seen as a backdrop to the standoff.
The ICC maintained that the security concerns raised by Bangladesh were minimal and opted to proceed with the tournament as planned, leading to Bangladesh’s withdrawal and Scotland’s inclusion.
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