If Bangladesh Cricket Board refuse to bend and play its T20 World Cup matches in India, then ICC could be forced to name a replacement team.
Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) have been handed an ultimatum by the International Cricket Council (ICC), who have set the 21 January deadline to decide on the team’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026, which starts from 7 February. The ICC has refused to accept Bangladesh’s request to move their matches outside of India, and if BCB remains steadfast on their demand, then the Jay Shah-led ICC could be forced to pick a replacement team.
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The ultimatum was given to Bangladesh
on Saturday when an ICC delegation made a visit to Dhaka to bring an end to the ongoing saga. According to reports, ICC would wait for Bangladesh to agree to playing in India, but if they don’t change their stand by 21 January, then strict action can be taken by the global body.
Bangladesh refuses to play matches in India
Bangladesh are not willing to scale back on their demand, and want to play their matches in Sri Lanka, just like Pakistan. Reportedly, they have also sought support from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)
to push their agenda.
“Last Saturday, January 17, an ICC representative came,” BCB director Amzad Hossain said on Monday. “A meeting was held with a delegation from our cricket board. There, we clearly conveyed our position regarding the World Cup participation and informed them that we are unable to play at the specified venue, and we requested an alternative venue.”
Bangladesh are part of Group C in the T20 World Cup 2026. They are scheduled to play their group matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. But BCB wants to slot Group B in place of Ireland, who are playing all their matches in Sri Lanka.
Who will replace Bangladesh in T20 World Cup 2026?
In case ICC or BCB don’t bend, then a replacement team would be needed to take Bangladesh’s place in Group C, and that replacement team could be Scotland. The ICC sources have told the news agency AFP that Scotland could replace Bangladesh, as they are the highest-ranked team that did not qualify for the World Cup.
Scotland was part of the T20 World Cup 2024in the USA and the West Indies. Overall, Scotland have taken part in six out of nine T20 World Cups so far. They were also a part of the inaugural 2007 World T20. Their best performance was the Super 12 stage in the 2021 World Cup.
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The BBC, meanwhile, has reported that Scotland and ICC have not begun any talks yet. Most likely, Scotland will only be informed on 21 January or later.
For the unversed, the whole fiasco began after the BCCI asked KKR to remove Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL 2026. While BCCI’s decision might have been influenced by the rise in attacks on Hindus in Bangladesh, it has led to an international cricket crisis.
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