The ICC has officially informed the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) that Bangladesh are out of the upcoming T20 World Cup and will be replaced by Scotland. This is because Bangladesh refused to travel to India over security worries linked to Mustafizur Rahaman’s removal from the IPL.
🚨 BREAKING 🚨
— Cricbuzz (@cricbuzz) January 24, 2026
ICC has officially replaced Bangladesh with Scotland at the ICC men's T20 World Cup 2026
Scotland will be placed in Group C alongside Italy, Nepal, West Indies and England pic.twitter.com/Yi3qNm2TTc
Senior ICC folks, including chairman Jay Shah, were in Dubai on Friday, 23rd January. Late that evening, they emailed BCB chairman Aminul Islam Bulbul with this news. An ICC source spoke to PTI on condition of anonymity: “We gave them a 24-hour deadline to say if they’d come to India, but they didn’t reply officially. So, we made the call.” The source added that BCB held a press conference in Dhaka first, breaking protocol, and they’ve been clearly told they’re replaced.
Security fears and Scotland steps in
Bangladesh‘s Sports Ministry advisor Asif Nazrul told them not to go, despite ICC’s repeated safety promises. Cricket Scotland says they haven’t got official word yet, but it’s just a matter of time.
Scotland will now play their four group games: against the West Indies on 7th February, Italy on 9th February, and England on 14th February, all in Kolkata. Their last one is versus Nepal in Mumbai on 17th February.
