Bangladesh has made it clear that they would not be traveling to India for the 2026 T20 World Cup, which may result in the ICC replacing them with Scotland.
Bangladesh asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing 'security concerns.' However, the ICC has stated that no alterations will be made to the World Cup schedule, and Bangladesh is unlikely to participate in the competition due to their rigid stance.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) will suffer more than just a cricketing setback if they continue to hold onto its boycott stance, as it will be hit by severe financial loss as well. Some of the reports have even claimed that this stunt could amount to losses of almost 60 percent of their annual income.
According to PTI, Bangladesh will lose 27 million dollars, or Rs 240 crore, if it does not participate in the T20 World Cup 2026. BCB’s decision not come to India for the ICC event could result in a loss of broadcast revenue, sponsorship money, and income for the fiscal year, which might result in a 60 percent reduction in their annual income.
Bangladesh was given until Thursday to make its choice. Scotland is next in line based on team standings for the competition, which begins on February 7. However, taking a hardline stance, Bangladesh's sports advisor, Asif Nazrul, said after a meeting with national team players that the ICC's evaluation was unacceptable to them.
It is unclear whether the ICC has informed Cricket Scotland, since CEO Trudy Lindblade declined to comment.
"We cannot comment on this developing situation. If the circumstances change, we will issue an official media release on our website,” Charles Paterson, head of communications of Cricket Scotland, responded to a query from PTI.
Asif Nazrul, the Bangladesh government’s sports advisor to BCB, stated that while their players have worked hard for the T20 World Cup 2026, their stance about not playing in India remains the same.
This all started when BCCI ordered IPL franchise KKR to release Bangladeshi Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad. This was a result of growing discontent in India over atrocities being committed on the minority Hindu community in Bangladesh in recent times.
In retaliation, the Bangladesh government banned IPL broadcasts in India, and since then, they have cited security threats to their players as a reason for not wanting to travel to India for the ICC T20 World Cup 2026.
"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. We are not convinced that they can ensure the safety of our entire team, journalists, and spectators. We are not giving up hope yet; our team is ready. We expect the ICC to provide justice by considering our genuine security risks and allowing us to play in Sri Lanka," Nazrul said in a press conference while declaring that the country won't play in India.
Bangladesh is due to play four games in India (three in Kolkata and one in Mumbai). Nazrul has also accused ICC of double standards, as they allowed India to play their ICC Champions Trophy games in Dubai, despite Pakistan being the official hosts.
(PTI inputs)
