ICC replaces Bangladesh with Scotland in T20 World Cup

The International Cricket Council has officially excluded Bangladesh from the 2026 T20 World Cup, replacing them with Scotland. Cricket-based website Cricbuzz reported the development.

On January 21, the ICC held a virtual meeting with board directors of its full member nations, where Bangladesh was informed that participation in the World Cup would require playing in India. The ICC gave the Bangladesh Cricket Board, BCB, 24 hours to reconsider its decision not to travel to India. However, as the Bangladesh government remained firm on its stance and the BCB did not withdraw demands deemed inconsistent with ICC regulations within the stipulated time, the world governing body took a final decision on Saturday, January 24.

In a formal letter sent on Saturday morning, ICC chief executive officer Sanjog Gupta informed the ICC board that the BCB’s demands were not aligned with ICC policy and that the board’s decision was not being complied with. Under the circumstances, he said, there was no alternative but to invite another country in Bangladesh’s place. A copy of the letter was also sent to BCB president and ICC board member Aminul Islam.

Cricbuzz added that the decision to remove Bangladesh had effectively become inevitable, with associate nation Scotland eventually finalised as the replacement team. Attempts were made to contact Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade for comment, but no official response was received.

As a result of the change, Scotland will now compete in Group C. They will face West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, Italy on February 9 and England on February 14, before playing Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.