Scotland Steps Up: Replaces Bangladesh in 2026 T20 World Cup

Earlier on Saturday, the ICC confirmed that Scotland will replace Bangladesh in the mega event after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to participate under the tournament's published schedule, which would require them to play their league stage games in India.

Bangladesh had sought to move their group-stage fixtures from India to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns in the wake of fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman being released from the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026. But ICC's decision ends weeks of uncertainty after the BCB repeatedly pressed for a venue change and even suggested swapping groups with Ireland.

Cricket Scotland said the men's squad has been training for several weeks ahead of scheduled tours and will now travel to India immediately to acclimatise before the tournament begins, adding that details around squad selection for the tournament will be shared in the coming days.

"I welcomed a call from ICC Chair Jay Shah earlier today confirming that Scotland will receive an invitation to play at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup. I was pleased to accept on behalf of our team, who are willing and ready to go. We thank the ICC for this opportunity and look forward to competing with some of the best sides in the world in India in the coming weeks," said Wilf Walsh, Cricket Scotland Chair, in a statement.

Scotland will now take on England, Italy, Nepal, and the West Indies in the Group C games - three of which will happen in Kolkata and one to be staged in Mumbai. The side comes into the T20 World Cup as the next-highest ranked T20I team that had originally missed the qualification for the tournament, where they finished at fourth place.

Scotland are currently ranked 14th, which in fact is ahead of competing teams Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, USA, Canada, Oman, and Italy. Interestingly, Scotland had played the 2009 T20 World Cup in England after Zimbabwe pulled out of the tournament due to political reasons.

"Earlier today, I received correspondence from the ICC asking if our men's team would play at the Men's T20 World Cup, and we have accepted. We are grateful to the ICC for extending this invitation. This is an exciting opportunity for Scotland's players to compete on the global stage in front of millions of supporters.

"We also acknowledge that this opportunity has arisen out of challenging and unique circumstances. Our squad have been training for some weeks in preparation for upcoming tours and are now preparing to arrive in India imminently to acclimatise to local conditions, ready to play and contribute to what should be a fantastic ICC Men's T20 World Cup," said Trudy Lindblade, Cricket Scotland Chief Executive.

- IANS