Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to begin on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, the International Cricket Council (ICC) confirmed on Friday, January 23. The move comes after Bangladesh opted out of the tournament, citing unresolved security concerns.
The ICC had earlier issued a 24-hour ultimatum to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to confirm their participation. With no official response by the deadline, the governing body decided to move forward with Scotland as the replacement team. “An e-mail was sent last evening to Bangladesh Cricket Board chairman intimating him that his board didn’t get back to ICC officially after the 24 hour deadline that was given to them to decide if they wanted to come to India, so a decision has been taken,” an ICC source told PTI on condition of anonymity.
The decision was finalised during a meeting in Dubai on Friday, chaired by ICC Chairman Jay Shah. In a last attempt, Bangladesh had requested that the matter be referred to the dispute resolution committee. However, the committee clarified that it could not act as an appeal forum, leaving the ICC’s ruling as final.
Scotland Set for T20 World Cup 2026 Debut in Group C
Scotland, who have participated in five previous T20 World Cups, will now compete in Group C alongside England, the West Indies, Italy, and Nepal. Their opening match is against the West Indies in Kolkata on February 7, followed by games against Italy at Eden Gardens on February 9, England on February 14 at the same venue, and Nepal in Mumbai on February 17. Despite not advancing to the Super 8 stages in recent editions, Scotland gave strong performances in 2024 against teams like Australia and England.
ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta formally informed the ICC Board that Bangladesh had failed to comply with the binding board decision, leaving the council no choice but to bring Scotland on board. A formal invitation was sent to Cricket Scotland, confirming their entry into the tournament. While Cricket Scotland CEO Trudy Lindblade had not responded immediately to media inquiries, sources confirmed that communications between Dubai and Edinburgh were active from early Saturday to implement the decision.
This development marks a historic opportunity for Scotland to compete on cricket’s biggest T20 stage and underscores the ICC’s firm stance on adherence to its tournament policies.
