In a stunning turn of events, Scotland is all but confirmed as the replacement for Bangladesh in the upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 just a couple of weeks before the global showpiece gets underway in India and Sri Lanka.
Recently, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has rejected Bangladesh’s final appeal to shift their ICC T20 World Cup 2026 matches to Sri Lanka due to security concerns in India.
Earlier, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) failed to submit a formal response to the ICC regarding their final stance on playing their T20 World Cup 2026 matches in India. The governing body had given Bangladesh a strict 24-hour deadline on Wednesday to confirm their participation.
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But the deadline passed without any official communication from the BCB, which led the ICC to initiate the process for the replacement. Interestingly, the Bangladesh Cricket Board boss Aminul Islam and Sports Advisor Asif Nazrul, after the deadline passed, stressed that they will not allow their team to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026.
They were stubborn ever since the BCCI removed star seamer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL 2026 because of violence and killing of Hindu minorities in Bangladesh. Even the BCB approached the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) to challenge the decision.
However, the ICC Constitution and the DRC’s Terms of Reference show the committee does not have the power to overrule decisions made by the ICC Board of Directors. The global body had already voted 14-2 to keep Bangladesh’s matches in India, following an independent security assessment that rated the risk to players and fans as “low to moderate” in Kolkata and Mumbai.
Scotland set to replace Bangladesh at ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after ICC rejects final appeal
With all legal roads and deadlines now passed, the ICC has cleared the way for Scotland to step into the tournament as Bangladesh’s replacement, as reported by Cricbuzz.
Scotland has officially been confirmed as the replacement for Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2026, starting on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka. The governing body made this call after BCB failed to meet the ICC’s strict deadline, leaving them no choice but to call in Scotland.
Read Also: Bangladesh sports advisor cries on Live TV during BPL final as ICC kicks team from T20 World Cup
The decision was finalized on Saturday morning when the ICC CEO formally informed the board that Bangladesh’s demands were not in line with ICC policy. With no compliance from the BCB, the ICC moved quickly to invite Scotland to take part in the marquee event.
ICC send formal communication to BCB and Scotland
The formal communication was also sent to the BCB president, Islam, who is a member of the ICC Board. Gupta also sent a formal invite to Cricket Scotland to take part in the T20 World Cup 2026. However, Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade is yet to officially confirm their participation.
Scotland has been in contact with the ICC, with preparations now underway for their entry into the showpiece event. They were given the nod because of their strong performances in previous ICC events and their current ranking of 14.
In the 2024 World Cup, Scotland finished third in their group with the same points as England but missed out due to a lower net run rate. In 2022, they beat the West Indies in the group stage but failed to reach the Super 12. In 2021, Scotland defeated Bangladesh in the group stage and topped their group but later failed to win a match in the Super 12 round.
