In a seismic shift for the cricketing world International Cricket Council (ICC) released official information about it Scotland will replace Bangladesh when it comes ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The decision came after a tense conflict between Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and received a high-profile endorsement from the game’s global governing body, the 1983 World Cup winner and former Indian captain.
Host tournament India and Sri LankaIt is planned to be held from February 7 to March 8, 2026. As the rest of the world prepares for the 20-team spectacle, Bangladesh’s withdrawal has sparked heated debate over sport, diplomacy and the impact of neighboring nations.
The former World Cup hero has backed the ICC to back Scotland over the Bangladesh call-up
Speaking to ANI, Madan Lal did not fail to assess the situation. He described the ICC’s decision to promote Scotland as “very good“act,” he also criticized BCB for what he considered a strategic blunder.
Lal suggested that the decision to withdraw was not entirely internal, pointing to outside pressure. “Pakistan also led them astray (Bangladesh). Now this is a huge opportunity for Scotland as they will have a lot of exposure. Bangladesh made a huge mistake,“Lal noted.
His comments refer to the BCB’s refusal to travel to India, citing security concerns, despite internal and external experts finding no credible and verifiable threat. Lal stressed that India, particularly Mumbai, one of the planned venues, remains one of the safest environments for international cricket, saying the withdrawal would result in a huge loss of trade and development for Bangladesh.
Also READ: Bangladesh to officially withdraw from T20 World Cup 2026; ICC announces replacement
Why are Scotland new contenders for Group C?
The switch from Bangladesh to Scotland was the result of a rigorous three-week dialogue process. After the BCB demanded that the Group C matches be shifted from India to Sri Lanka, the ICC conducted a thorough investigation. When the request was denied due to the lack of a genuine security threat, the ICC gave Bangladesh a 24-hour ultimatum to confirm their participation.
After the BCB’s silence, the ICC resorted to its established qualification protocols. Scotland, currently ranked 14th in the world, were selected as replacements as they were the highest-ranked T20I side that initially failed to qualify for the 2026 edition.
Scotland will now host Bangladesh in Group C, joining a competitive pool that includes:
- England
- West India
- Nepal
- Italy
“Saltyr” will start the campaign on the opening day, February 7 West India in Kolkata. For Scotland, this is a golden chance to build on their impressive 2024 performance, where they narrowly missed out on the Super 8s. And for Bangladesh, the disaster is severe; reports suggest the board faces a potential loss of $27 million in ICC revenue and the cancellation of bilateral series, a dark chapter for the Tigers on the global stage.
