Scotland replaced Bangladesh after the BCB’s request to move the match from India was rejected by the ICC.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has decided to exclude Bangladesh from the upcoming T20 World Cup and field Scotland in their place, citing an impasse over safety concerns raised by Bangladesh regarding playing in India.
After weeks of deliberations and dialogue, the ICC announced on Saturday that Bangladesh will be relegated to Group C of the tournament.
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“Scotland will be competing in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 in place of Bangladesh as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has declined to participate in the tournament as per the published match schedule,” the ICC said in a statement.
“The ICC has rejected the BCB’s request to move the match from India to Sri Lanka as there is no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India,” it added.
The tournament, scheduled to begin on February 7, will be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, but all of Bangladesh’s team matches have been allocated to Indian venues.
The Tigers were scheduled to play West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 7, the opening day of the tournament. They were scheduled to play two more group stage matches at the same venue before their final Group C match against Nepal at the Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai.
However, on January 4, the BCB requested the ICC to move the match venue outside India.
The move follows the sudden removal of star fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) due to ongoing political tensions between the two countries.
The ICC said the decision followed an “extensive process to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of the scheduled matches in India”.
The ICC statement continued: “Over three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple dialogues conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both by videoconference and in-person.”
“As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns raised by the BCB, commissioned and reviewed independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans, including federal and state arrangements, and security protocols that are being strengthened and strengthened for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board of Directors.”
The game’s governing body said its assessment concluded that “there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or Indian supporters.”
“In light of these findings and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC has determined that it is inappropriate to amend the published event schedule. The ICC also noted the importance of maintaining the integrity and sanctity of the tournament schedule, protecting the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoiding establishing precedents that could undermine the neutrality and impartiality of ICC events.”
ICC’s decision came two days after BCB reiterated its stand not to travel to India for group matches.
The ICC asked the BCB to review the decision with the Bangladesh government and respond within one day, after which a final decision would be taken.
“After Wednesday’s meeting, the IBC board requested the BCB to confirm within 24 hours whether Bangladesh will participate in the tournament as scheduled,” the ICC said.
“Failure to receive confirmation within the prescribed deadline, the ICC proceeded to identify a replacement team in accordance with established governance and qualification processes.”
Scotland will enter the T20 World Cup as the top-ranked T20I team, having not originally qualified for the tournament.
“We want to play in the World Cup but we will not play in India. We will keep fighting,” BCB president Aminul Islam told reporters.
The BCB chief said the ICC will lose if Bangladesh is expelled from the tournament.
“The ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup,” he said.
