Scotland Steps Up: Takes Bangladesh’s Spot in 2026 T20 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Saturday that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is set to start on February 7. Scotland was chosen based on ICC rankings, having participated in six of the nine previous tournament editions.

This decision follows a prolonged disagreement between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the ICC over Bangladesh’s refusal to play its matches in India due to security concerns, raised shortly after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) requested that Kolkata Knight Riders release Mustafizur Rahman for the IPL 2026 season.

The ICC stated that Bangladesh’s request to relocate its matches to Sri Lanka was denied due to the lack of any credible or verifiable security threats to its team in India. The ICC affirmed that adequate security measures were in place at all venues hosting Bangladesh’s games.

The BCB had requested a change in its group to allow all matches to be played in Sri Lanka, the tournament’s co-host. However, the request was declined by the ICC, ensuring that all scheduled venues had appropriate security arrangements.

According to the ICC, the decision came after an extensive process to address the concerns raised by the BCB about hosting the matches in India. Having a deadline until Thursday to decide, Bangladesh’s sports adviser, Asif Nazrul, confirmed the country’s withdrawal from the biennial event.

Scotland is now set to join Group C, competing alongside England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies.

Published on Jan 24, 2026.