Bangladesh Eliminated from T20 World Cup Following ICC’s Venue Decision
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has removed Bangladesh from the upcoming T20 World Cup, naming Scotland as its replacement after talks broke down over security issues raised by Bangladesh regarding matches scheduled in India.
After weeks of discussions and assessments, the ICC confirmed on Saturday that Scotland will take Bangladesh’s place in Group C of the tournament.
Scotland will take Bangladesh’s place in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) declined to compete under the tournament’s confirmed match schedule, the ICC said in a statement.
The governing body said it rejected Bangladesh’s request to relocate its matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing a lack of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India.
The tournament is set to begin on February 7 and is being jointly hosted by India and Sri Lanka. However, all of Bangladesh’s group-stage matches had been scheduled at Indian venues.
Bangladesh were due to open their campaign against the West Indies at Eden Gardens in Kolkata on the first day of the tournament. They were also scheduled to play two additional Group C matches at the same venue before concluding the group stage against Nepal at Mumbai’s Wankhede Stadium.
On January 4, the BCB formally asked the ICC to move its fixtures out of India. The request followed the sudden withdrawal of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League, reportedly on instructions from the BCCI amid heightened political tensions between the two countries.
The ICC said its decision came after an extensive review process addressing the BCB’s concerns. Over more than three weeks, the council held multiple rounds of discussions with Bangladesh cricket officials through video conferences and in-person meetings, describing the talks as transparent and constructive.
As part of its review, the ICC said it examined the concerns raised by the BCB and commissioned independent security evaluations from both internal and external experts. The council also shared comprehensive security and operational plans, detailing federal and state-level arrangements alongside enhanced and scalable security measures for the tournament. These assurances, the ICC said, were reiterated at multiple stages, including during discussions involving the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board.
Based on these assessments, the ICC concluded there was no credible or verifiable security risk to the Bangladesh national team, team officials, or supporters in India.
In light of those findings, the ICC said it decided against altering the published tournament schedule. The governing body cited the need to protect the integrity of the competition, uphold fairness for all participating teams, and avoid setting precedents that could compromise the neutrality of future ICC events.
The decision came two days after the BCB reaffirmed its refusal to travel to India for its group-stage matches. The ICC subsequently asked the Bangladesh board to consult with the government and confirm within 24 hours whether it would take part in the tournament as scheduled.
After no response was received within the deadline, the ICC said it moved forward in accordance with its governance and qualification rules to name a replacement team.
Scotland has been confirmed as Bangladesh’s replacement, having been the highest-ranked T20I side not originally qualified for the tournament.
Despite the decision, BCB President Aminul Islam said Bangladesh remains determined to compete but will not play matches in India. He warned that the ICC would suffer commercially and in viewership if Bangladesh were excluded, noting the country’s large global fan base.
