Scotland replace Bangladesh at T20 World Cup after boycott

Scotland have been awarded a berth at next month’s T20 World Cup in India after Bangladesh chose to boycott the event.

Scotland take Bangladesh's place in Group C as the highest-ranked team not already at the tournament, currently placed 14th in the world.

It comes after Bangladesh requested that their tournament matches be held in Sri Lanka amid escalating tensions with India that have rumbled for several weeks and left the side’s participation in doubt.

The ICC rejected this request in a decision made at a board meeting on Wednesday, stressing that Bangladesh would either play their matches in India or be replaced.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had cited security reasons in requesting that they not travel to India. It followed the releasing of Bangladeshi left-arm seamer Mustafizur Rahman from his contract with the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League (IPL), seemingly instigated by reported attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh and strained ties between Dhaka and Delhi.

The T20 World Cup will already be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, with all of Pakistan’s fixtures held in the island nation. Reports suggest that Pakistan backed the BCB’s appeal at the board meeting, but the ICC board concluded that there was “no threat” to Bangladesh players, media personnel or officials if they were to travel to India for the tournament.

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The BCB responded by reaffirming their position, leading to the ICC to press ahead with their alternative plan of inviting Scotland into the tournament instead.

A statement from the ICC said: "The International Cricket Council today announced that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the ICC men's T20 World Cup 2026 after the Bangladesh Cricket Board refused to participate in the tournament per the published match schedule.

"The announcement comes after the ICC, in the absence of any credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team in India, rejected the BCB's demand to move its matches from India to Sri Lanka, in the 20-team tournament to be played from 7 February to 8 March.

Cricket Scotland officials are said to have been monitoring the situation closely, with Scotland's players already back in training as the prepare for a one-day international tri-series with Namibia and Oman in Windhoek in March.

Scotland’s late inclusion in the tournament sets up a group clash with England, who they will face in Kolkata on 14 February.

The event is scheduled to begin on 7 February, with Scotland’s first game against the West Indies on the opening day. Nepal and Italy are also in their group.