Edinburgh, Jan 24 (NationPress) - Scotland has agreed to an invitation to step in for Bangladesh and participate in the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup, which is set to commence on February 7 in India and Sri Lanka, as announced by Cricket Scotland in Edinburgh on Saturday.

Earlier that day, the ICC confirmed Scotland's replacement for Bangladesh in this significant tournament after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) opted out due to the tournament's schedule, which would necessitate their league matches being played in India.

Bangladesh had requested a relocation of their group-stage matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security issues following the release of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. However, the ICC's decision concludes weeks of ambiguity as the BCB persistently advocated for a venue change and even proposed swapping groups with Ireland.

Cricket Scotland revealed that the men's team has been training diligently for several weeks in anticipation of upcoming tours and will now head to India promptly to acclimatize prior to the tournament's kickoff. Details regarding the squad selection for the World Cup will be made available shortly.

“I was pleased to receive a call from ICC Chair Jay Shah earlier today, confirming that Scotland would be invited to compete in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. I gladly accepted on behalf of our team, who are eager and prepared. We appreciate the ICC for this opportunity and are excited to face some of the world's top teams in India in the coming weeks,” stated Wilf Walsh, Chair of Cricket Scotland.

Scotland will face England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies in Group C, with three matches scheduled in Kolkata and one in Mumbai. The team enters the T20 World Cup as the highest-ranked T20I team that initially missed qualification, finishing fourth.

Currently ranked 14th, Scotland surpasses competing teams such as Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman, and Italy. Notably, Scotland participated in the 2009 T20 World Cup in England after Zimbabwe withdrew due to political issues.

“Today, I received a message from the ICC inquiring if our men’s team would participate in the Men’s T20 World Cup, and we have accepted. We are thankful to the ICC for this invitation. This presents an exhilarating opportunity for Scotland’s players to compete globally in front of millions of fans.

“We recognize that this opportunity comes under challenging and unique circumstances. Our squad has been training for several weeks in preparation for upcoming tours and is now set to arrive in India shortly to acclimatize to local conditions, ready to contribute to what promises to be a fantastic ICC Men’s T20 World Cup,” commented Trudy Lindblade, Chief Executive of Cricket Scotland.