Will Scotland replace Bangladesh at T20 World Cup?

Dubai: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has reportedly issued an ultimatum to the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), demanding a final decision by January 21 on whether Bangladesh will participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 or face possible expulsion from the tournament.

According to reports, if the BCB declines to send its team to India, the ICC may replace Bangladesh, with Scotland emerging as the likely substitute based on current rankings. The T20 World Cup is scheduled to begin on February 7.

The BCB has refused to play in India, citing security concerns, and has formally requested that its matches be moved to co-host nation Sri Lanka. Discussions between BCB officials and the ICC took place in Dhaka over the weekend, but no resolution was reached.

“During the discussions, the BCB reiterated its formal request to the ICC to relocate Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka,” the board said in a statement.

While the ICC has not issued an official response, Cricinfo and other Indian media outlets reported on Monday that Dhaka had been given a Wednesday deadline to confirm its position. ICC sources told AFP that Bangladesh could be replaced by Scotland, the highest-ranked team not currently qualified for the tournament.

Bangladesh are drawn in Group C alongside England and are scheduled to play all their group-stage matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. One proposal discussed was a potential group swap with Ireland from Group B, whose fixtures are set to take place in Sri Lanka.

“Among other points, the possibility of moving Bangladesh to a different group as a means of facilitating the matter with minimal logistical adjustments was discussed,” the BCB said.

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