Bangladesh have been removed from the 2026 T20 World after refusing to travel to India for the tournament, with Scotland lined up to replace them.
The ICC have formally removed Bangladesh from next month's men's T20 World Cup after weeks of negotiations with the BCB over their refusal to send a team to India over security concerns. After a meeting on Wednesday (January 21), the BCB were given a 24-hour deadline to confirm whether they would travel to India for the tournament. The decision to remove them was taken by the ICC after no confirmation was received.
The board reportedly sent an email to the BCB on Friday to inform them of the decision. On January 24, the ICC released a statement announcing Bangladesh's removal and that Scotland have been added to the tournament.
"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," the ICC's statement read. "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 (IBC) Board.
"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."
Scotland to replace Bangladesh at the 2026 T20 World Cup
Scotland will replace Bangladesh in Group C for the tournament. Scotland qualify as the highest ICC ranked men's T20I side not already qualified for the tournament.
Scotland finished fourth in the European Qualifier for the tournament, with the Netherlands and Italy securing qualification by finishing in the top two positions. However, Scotland did feature in the last edition of the tournament in 2024, where they finished third in Group B, beating Namibia and Oman.
They will begin their campaign on February 7 against West Indies in Kolkata, before playing Italy, England, and Nepal in the group stage.
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