Bangladesh’s participation in the global showpiece continues to remain uncertain.
With less than 20 days remaining for the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, Bangladesh’s participation in the global showpiece continues to remain uncertain.
The Bangla Tigers are scheduled to play their T20 World Cup group-stage fixtures in Kolkata and Mumbai. However, the BCB has repeatedly refused to travel to India, citing securing concerns. Instead, the board want its matches to be moved to Sri Lanka, the co-hosts of the marquee event.
The tiff had begun earlier this month when, on the BCCI's instruction, KKR released Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 roster.
Amid the standoff, it has been reported that ICC may be forced to name a replacement team if the BCB opts out of the tournament. As per current rankings, it could be Scotland.
However, according to BBC Sport, the apex body is yet to make any formal contact with Cricket Scotland on the matter.
During the meeting with ICC representatives in Dhaka over the last weekend, the BCB also proposed the idea of a group swap with Ireland, who are scheduled to play all their preliminary matches in Sri Lanka. The ICC is understood to have rejected the request, stating that India pose no security threats to the Bangladesh team.
Bangladesh’s withdrawal would open the door for Scotland to participate in the tournament. But, the BBC Sport report claimed that the ICC has not initiated discussions with Scotland, while Cricket Scotland is also unwilling to approach the global body out of respect for the ongoing situation involving the BCB.
BBC Sport also approached the ICC to seek clarification on the process of picking the replacement team. During the 2009 T20 World Cup, Zimbabwe pulled out due to political reasons, and Scotland was chosen as the replacement team on the basis of being the 'next best' team in a pre-tournament global qualifying tournament. However, since 2024, ICC has expanded the T20 World Cup to 20 teams, with qualification based on regional events.