Dubai/Dhaka, January 21, 2026: The International Cricket Council (ICC) has granted the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) one final day to consult with the government and decide whether their team will travel to India to participate in the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. If Bangladesh maintains its refusal to play in India over security concerns, the ICC Board has decided to replace them with Scotland based on team rankings.
The decision was taken during a board meeting on Wednesday, where the majority of ICC directors voted in favor of a replacement if Bangladesh does not participate. Of the 15 directors present, only Pakistan supported the BCB’s position. The meeting followed a letter from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) expressing support for Bangladesh.
The meeting included directors from all Full Member boards, including BCB president Aminul Islam, BCCI secretary Devajit Saikia, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird, and representatives from Zimbabwe, West Indies, Ireland, New Zealand, England, South Africa, and Afghanistan, alongside ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta and deputy chairman Imran Khawaja. ICC ACU head Andrew Ephgrave, who recently met the BCB in Dhaka to address security concerns, also attended.
“The decision was taken after considering all security assessments, including independent reviews, which indicated there was no threat to Bangladesh players, officials, media, or fans at any tournament venues in India,” the ICC said.
The ICC emphasized that changes to the schedule at this stage would set a precedent jeopardizing the neutrality and integrity of future ICC events. Venue-level security plans, federal and state law-enforcement support, and formal assurances from host authorities have all been provided to the BCB.
The BCB, in coordination with the Bangladesh government, wrote to the ICC on January 4 stating they would not send the team to India due to security concerns and requested to play their matches in co-host Sri Lanka instead. Bangladesh also requested that their group be swapped with a team like Ireland, which is scheduled to play all group matches in Sri Lanka; the ICC rejected this request.
The ICC noted that Bangladesh repeatedly linked its participation to an unrelated domestic cricket issue involving player Mustafizur Rahman, which has no bearing on tournament security. “In the absence of any independent security findings that materially compromise safety, the ICC is unable to relocate fixtures. Doing so would create significant logistical challenges and precedent-related issues,” the statement said.
Bangladesh are in Group C and are scheduled to play three matches in Kolkata on February 7, 9, and 14, with their final group game in Mumbai on February 17.
With the deadline approaching, the ICC has made it clear that Scotland could replace Bangladesh if the BCB maintains its refusal to travel, potentially altering the lineup for the upcoming T20 World Cup.
