- By Himanshu Badola
- Thu, 22 Jan 2026 06:28 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Scotland set to play T20 World Cup 2026: The upcoming ICC T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to have a new team making its entry as Bangladesh has decided to pull out of the tournament, which is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka and will start on February 7. Bangladesh, which cited security concerns in India as a reason to avoid participation, will be replaced by Scotland.
Bangladesh urged the ICC to shift their T20 World Cup matches from India to Sri Lanka amid the ongoing political tensions with the neighbouring country and the cricketing issues with the BCCI. However, the ICC rejected their request and confirmed, following their board meeting, that a replacement will be called if Bangladesh opts against travelling to India.
Independent security assessments submitted by the ICC clarified that there was no credible threat to Bangladesh players or officials at the venues in India, and making changes in the schedule so close to the event was deemed infeasible. However, in a press conference on January 22, BCB officials once again reignted the debate after claiming that it’s ICC’s failure for not being able to find a solution.
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"There is no scope to change our decision. We will go back to the ICC with our plan to play in Sri Lanka. They did give us a 24-hour ultimatum, but a global body can’t really do that. ICC will miss out on 200 million people watching the World Cup. It will be their loss," Nazrul said after a meeting with Bangladesh team cricketers and BCB officials in Dhaka.
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"While our cricketers have worked hard to qualify for the World Cup, the security risk regarding playing in India remains unchanged. This concern is not based on abstract analysis," he added.
Notably, the ICC issued a 24-hour ultimatum for the BCB to finalise their decision and warned them that if they remained unwilling to play in India, they would be removed from the tournament and replaced by another nation.
Why Scotland Will Replace Bangladesh In T20 World Cup 2026?
If Bangladesh are set and confirmed to pull out of the T20 World Cup 2026, Scotland are straight and easy pick as replacements. Although Scotland failed to qualify for the tournament through the European Qualifiers, it's their ICC T20I ranking positions, which makes them a ogical choice if a late change is required.
The ICC is set to approve Scotland’s inclusion to maintain the integrity and scheduling of the World Cup. However, it is yet to be known whether any changes will be made in the schedule or the groups. Scotland might just have to follow the match schedule that was given to Bangladesh.