ICC Replaces Bangladesh With Scotland for 2026 T20 World Cup

The ICC has confirmed Scotland as Bangladesh’s replacement at the 2026 T20 World Cup, bringing an end to weeks of uncertainty sparked by Bangladesh’s refusal to travel to India over security concerns.

The decision was formally communicated to ICC board members via email after prolonged discussions with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) failed to produce a resolution. 

In its communication, the ICC stated that the BCB was “not agreeable to playing the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 per the match schedule with their matches in India,” prompting the governing body to activate its contingency plan and confirm a replacement team.

Bangladesh’s stance hardened after the country’s government declined to grant clearance for travel to India. The BCB informed the ICC of this decision late last week and indicated it would explore taking the matter to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC). However, the scope for such a challenge appears limited. ICC regulations make it clear that the DRC cannot function as an appeal body against decisions taken by the ICC board itself.

The turning point came during an emergency ICC board meeting held via video conference, where a clear majority voted in favour of replacing Bangladesh if they continued to insist on shifting their matches to Sri Lanka. In a statement following that meeting, the ICC said altering the schedule so close to the tournament was not feasible and warned that doing so without “any credible security threat” could undermine the integrity and neutrality of future ICC events.

Scotland as Bangladesh’s Replacement

Bangladesh had been drawn in Group C and were scheduled to play three matches in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. Those fixtures will now be taken over by Scotland, who step into the tournament at short notice but with full backing from the ICC.

The issue gained momentum after India’s cricket board asked Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad earlier this month. Although no official explanation was offered, the timing fuelled concerns within Bangladesh’s camp.

The ICC has dismissed any link between that IPL development and World Cup security arrangements, stating that Bangladesh had repeatedly tied tournament participation to “a single, isolated and unrelated development” that had no bearing on the event’s safety framework.

BCB president Aminul Islam accused the ICC of inconsistency, comparing the situation to India’s refusal to travel to Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy. The ICC, however, maintained that the two cases were not comparable.