New Delhi, Jan 24 (NationPress) The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced on Saturday that Scotland will take the place of Bangladesh in the 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup following the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB)'s refusal to participate according to the tournament's scheduled format, which mandates their league stage matches to be held in India.

Bangladesh had requested to shift their group-stage matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing concerns over security after fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. However, the ICC's ruling concludes a period of uncertainty that ensued as the BCB persistently sought a change of venue and even proposed swapping groups with Ireland.

In their statement, the ICC mentioned that independent evaluations revealed no credible threats to the team's safety. With the tournament set to commence on February 7, the governing body deemed it impractical to modify Bangladesh’s schedule at such short notice.

ICC officials, including chairman Jay Shah, convened in Dubai on Friday before officially deciding on Saturday to substitute Bangladesh with Scotland in the prestigious event. "The decision follows a thorough process undertaken by the ICC to address the concerns raised by the BCB regarding the hosting of its scheduled matches in India," the ICC stated.

"Over a span of more than three weeks, the ICC engaged with the BCB through several rounds of discussions conducted in a transparent and constructive manner, including meetings held both via video conferencing and in-person.

"As part of this process, the ICC reviewed the concerns cited by the BCB, commissioned and considered independent security assessments from both internal and external experts, and shared detailed security and operational plans covering federal and state arrangements, as well as enhanced security protocols for the event.

“These reassurances were reiterated at various stages, including during discussions with the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) Board. The ICC’s evaluations concluded that there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials, or supporters in India.

"Given these findings, and after careful deliberation of the broader implications, the ICC determined that it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule. Following a meeting on Wednesday, the Bangladesh Cricket Board was provided a 24-hour window to confirm whether its team would participate in India as scheduled.

As no confirmation was received within the allotted timeframe, the ICC "proceeded in accordance with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team," as stated by the ICC.

Scotland will now occupy Bangladesh’s spot in Group C alongside England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies. The team enters the upcoming T20 World Cup as the next-highest ranked T20I team that had initially missed qualification for the tournament, where they finished in fourth place.

Currently ranked 14th, Scotland is positioned ahead of competing teams such as Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman, and Italy. Scotland will kick off their campaign against the West Indies at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata on February 7. Notably, Scotland participated in the 2009 T20 World Cup held in England after Zimbabwe withdrew from the tournament due to political issues.