New Delhi: Weeks of suspense finally ended on Saturday after the International Cricket Council (ICC) booted out Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026. In a statement, the global governing body said that after Bangladesh refused to play the next month’s showpiece event in India citing ‘unreasonable’ security concerns, they have been expelled from the global event.
Scotland, which emerged as the top-ranked team in the qualifiers, have replaced Bangladesh in Group C for the marquee event. Scotland have now been placed in Group C in the prelimnary stage of the competition and are set to play their league games against West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9) and England (February 14) in Kolkata, before travelling west to take on Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.
Earlier in the day, the ICC had established contact with Scotland with respect to participation in the showpiece event, as per multiple media reports. After the ICC gave the BCB a 24-hour deadline and they stood firm on their decision, the replacement seemed to be inevitable.
More to follow..