Scotland likely to replace Bangladesh in T20 World Cup as standoff with ICC deepens

Indian media have reported that Scotland is set to replace Bangladesh in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 after Dhaka’s continued refusal to travel to India for the tournament, 24NewsHD TV reported on Friday.

This development could trigger one of the most significant shake-ups in recent World Cup history.

According to Indian media claims, the International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to issue an official announcement soon regarding the decision, as the governing body moves closer to finalising the tournament lineup.

The reports also emerged as the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) sent a second formal letter to the ICC, requesting that its case be referred to the independent dispute resolution committee.

In the letter, the BCB reiterated its unwillingness to send the national team to India for the T20 World Cup 2026, citing persistent security concerns.

The latest correspondence was dispatched just two days after the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s demand to shift their scheduled World Cup matches outside India.

In its letter, the BCB maintained that it has consistently held the position that it will not play any matches on Indian soil and asserted that the stance reflects directives issued by the government.

The situation intensified a day later when senior BCB officials, including President Aminul Islam, Adviser to the Ministry of Youth and Sports Asif Nazrul, and several national cricketers, met to determine the board’s future course of action.

Following the meeting, the BCB announced it would stand firm on its demand to relocate its World Cup fixtures to Sri Lanka.

“We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka,” Aminul Islam said. “They did give us a 24-hour ultimatum, but a global body cannot really do that. ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup. It will be their loss.”

He added that the decision not to travel to India was taken at the government level and expressed hope that the ICC would reconsider Bangladesh’s proposal to play in Sri Lanka.

However, the ICC has already formally rejected the venue-change request following a virtual board meeting held on January 21, reaffirming that the 20-team T20 World Cup will proceed as scheduled from February 7 to March 8.

With the deadlock unresolved, Indian media reports suggest that Scotland’s inclusion in place of Bangladesh is now under serious consideration, with an official ICC statement expected in the coming days.