Bangladesh T20 World Cup 2026 participation was in doubt after the ICC decided not to relocate its matches in India, a decision taken during a board meeting earlier this week.
However, ICC has now confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, set to be played from next month across Sri Lanka and India.
The decision comes after three weeks of negotiations with BCB over Bangladesh’s security concerns in India.
In light of recent developments, the BCB has also written to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), urging the global body to look into the matter.
ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Updated Groups
With Bangladesh out of the mega event for the first time, the updated groups will look as follows.
| Group A | Groub B | Group C | Group D |
| India | Australia | England | South Africa |
| Netherlands | Sri Lanka | West Indies | New Zealand |
| USA | Zimbabwe | Scotland | Afghanistan |
| Pakistan | Ireland | Italy | Canada |
| Namibia | Oman | Nepal | UAE |
Scotland World Cup Appearance
Scotland has featured in six editions of the T20 World Cup since the tournament’s inception in 2007. Their last participation was in 2024, but this time they failed to qualify, as Italy made history by qualifying for the first time after impressive performances in the ICC T20 World Cup European Region Qualifier.
Pakistan’s stance on Bangladesh’s participation
Amid Bangladesh’s safety concerns, Pakistan, which will play all its matches in Sri Lanka under the Hybrid model, also backed the BCB’s stance on T20 World Cup participation.
There were several reports citing that Pakistan may boycott the mega event if Bangladesh opts out of the tournament.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, shared his views on the Bangladesh standoff, noting that Pakistan’s stance on World Cup participation would remain fully aligned with the government.
“Our stance in the ICC World Cup will be exactly the same as that of the Government of Pakistan. Whatever the government decides, that is what will happen,” he said.
“If our government says we should not go to India, then we will not go. The PCB is bound to follow the Government of Pakistan, not the ICC. We will not allow any single country to dictate terms, and we have Plan B, Plan C, and Plan D ready,” he added.
He further said that Bangladesh had been treated unfairly and maintained that Bangladesh has every right to make its own decisions.
“Bangladesh has been treated unfairly, and even today, our position is that Bangladesh has the full right to make its own decision. Even on May 10, we had not thought about a final decision, and even now we will see what happens and decide accordingly,” Naqvi remarked.
ICC tells Bangladesh about final decision
According to PTI, an email was sent to the Bangladesh Cricket Board chairman last evening about the final decision.
“An e-mail was sent last evening to the 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,” PTI quoted an ICC source on conditions of anonymity.
BCB Board of Directors meetings
The board of directors of the Bangladesh Cricket Board is meeting at the SBNCS, Mirpur, with details of the key decision set to be released in due course.
Scotland replaces Bangladesh in T20 World Cup
As per the latest development, Scotland has officially replaced Bangladesh in Group C for the forthcoming T20 World Cup, Cricbuzz reported.
ICC considers Cricket Scotland for T20 World Cup invite
According to Cricbuzz, the apex cricketing body has linked with Cricket Scotland to invite them to participate in the T20 World Cup.
However, ICC is expected to confirm the news via a press release later in the day.
What does Bangladesh T20 World Cup boycott mean?
According to the Press Trust of India (PTI), Bangladesh could lose $27 million if it refuses to play in the mega event. Moreover, they could also lose up to 60% of BCB’s annual earnings.
A brief timeline of Bangladesh’s standoff
The standoff stems from recent geopolitical tensions between India and Bangladesh.
The situation further escalated when the Indian Premier League (IPL) franchise released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman on the instructions of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
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Following this, Bangladesh urged the ICC to relocate its matches from India to Sri Lanka amid concerns about player safety.
However, the global cricket governing body cleared the team to play in India in a board meeting held on Wednesday, 21 January.
A day after the meeting, BCB official Asif Nazrul reiterated the BCB’s stance of not traveling to India following a meeting with the Bangladesh players.
“We will continue to communicate with the ICC. We want to play the World Cup, but we won’t play in India. We will keep fighting.
There were some shocking calls in the ICC Board Meeting. The Mustafizur issue is not an isolated single issue. They (India) were the sole decision makers in that issue,” he said.
Bangladesh ICC T20 World Cup 2026 fixtures
According to the T20 World Cup schedule, Bangladesh, who slotted in Group C alongside England, West Indies, Italy, and Nepal, will play their first three matches at Eden Gardens, Kolkata. Their last group stage fixture is scheduled in Mumbai.
- Feb 7: Bangladesh vs West Indies in Kolkata
- Feb 9: Bangladesh vs Italy in Kolkata
- Feb 14: Bangladesh vs England in Kolkata
- Feb 17: Bangladesh vs Nepal in Mumbai
The ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is set to commence on 7 February across Sri Lanka and India, with the opening match between Pakistan and the Netherlands in Colombo.
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