ICC gives full statement on Bangladesh omitting T20 World Cup 2026

Scotland has now replaced Bangladesh in the tournament after the Bangladesh Cricket Board declined to participate.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) has now confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate as per the published match schedule.

Scotland replaces Bangladesh in the T20 World Cup 2026.

Scotland has been drafted into Group C alongside England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies, with the tournament set to begin on February 7. BCB had raised concerns about playing its scheduled matches in India and sought to shift those matches to Sri Lanka, which is the co-host of the tournament. The ICC said it rejected that request in the absence of any “credible or verifiable security threat” to Bangladesh’s team, officials or supporters, following independent assessments by internal and external experts. Now, the ICC has decided to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament after the latter didn’t confirm its participation before the deadline.

Statement by the ICC on the matter.

The ICC statement in the release reads, “The decision follows an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India. Over a period of more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through multiple rounds of dialogue conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both via video conference and in-person. As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced and escalating security protocols for the event. These assurances were reiterated at several stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation.” It added, “The ICC’s assessments concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials or supporters in India. In light of these findings, and after careful consideration of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule. Following a meeting on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board had been given a 24-hour timeframe to confirm whether its team would participate in India as scheduled. As no confirmation was received within the deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.”

Bangladesh are out of the 2026 tournament, and Scotland has been formally named as a replacement.