The International Cricket Council (ICC) have officially confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh at the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, scheduled to be hosted by India and Sri Lanka from 7 February.
According to Cricbuzz, the decision follows Bangladesh’s failure to formally confirm their participation, despite being given time by the ICC to reconsider their position on travelling to India. With no response received within the allotted period, the governing body moved to finalise the replacement, bringing an associate nation into the tournament.
In a letter addressed to all Board members, Gupta is understood to have stated that the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) was not complying with the ICC Board’s decision, leaving no option but to invite another country Scotland, in this instance to replace Bangladesh at the marquee event. A copy of the letter was also sent to BCB president Aminul Islam, who is a member of the ICC Board.
Scotland will now take Bangladesh’s place in Group C of the preliminary stage. The European side are set to begin their campaign against West Indies on 7 February, followed by matches against Italy on 9 February and England on 14 February, all to be played in Kolkata. They will then travel west to face Nepal in Mumbai on 17 February.
According to a report by India Today on Saturday, the ICC has informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board by letter that Scotland have been named as their replacement. The decision was taken at an ICC meeting held in Dubai on Friday, where ICC chairman Jay Shah finalised Bangladesh’s World Cup future.
Prior to that, as a last attempt to secure a change of venue, the Bangladesh board approached the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) seeking a resolution to the issue. However, the committee rejected their appeal, leaving the ICC’s decision unchanged.
The development had been widely anticipated in cricketing circles, with Bangladesh’s stance remaining firm in recent weeks. The ICC’s move effectively ends speculation surrounding their participation and confirms Scotland’s return to the global tournament.
