Bangladesh out of T20 World Cup, Scotland named as replacement
In a stunning turn of events ahead of the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, Bangladesh has officially withdrawn from the tournament after refusing to play its matches in India over security concerns, prompting the International Cricket Council (ICC) to replace them with Scotland.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) had sought to relocate its fixtures to Sri Lanka, citing safety and political tensions, but the ICC rejected the request and ultimately gave the team an ultimatum that went unheeded, leading to their exclusion from the event.
Bangladesh have been a regular fixture in global T20 tournaments and can be dangerous opponents on their day, known for big-hitting batsmen and match-winning spin options, who would have been particularly made teams nervous in a sub-continent World Cup.
“We have accepted the decision of the ICC board. Since the ICC said that we cannot go and play, or they cannot shift our games to Sri Lanka, in this case, we cannot go and play in India,” BCB’s Media Committee Chairman Amzad Hossain said.
“Our position remains the same. We are not going to any seperate arbitration or anything here.
“After the ICC board meeting, there was a cabinet meeting of the Bangladesh government, and a decision was made there. The decision clearly stated that our team will not be able to go to India.
“This decision has been communicated by the government. After that, the ICC asked us to reply within 24 hours We told them politely that it is not possible for us to go and play according to this fixture.”
Before their withdrawal, some early World Cup betting markets had installed Bangladesh around 101.00 in outright odds to win the 2026 T20 World Cup Despite mixed historical results in T20s, it would surprise few in cricketing circles if they advanced through the group stage.
Scotland, ranked 14th in the ICC T20I rankings, have now stepped into Bangladesh’s Group C alongside England, Nepal, Italy and West Indies, marking a rare and unexpected opportunity for the associate nation to compete on cricket’s biggest short-format stage.
India remains the 2.20 favourite with cricket betting sites to win the T20 World Cup, ahead of Australia (4.25), England and South Africa (both 5.50), but the short form nature means there will almost certainly be some upsets on the path to the March 9 final.
