Scotland have officially released a statement having confirmed their participation at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 in India next month. The European nation were roped in as replacement after Bangladesh refused to travel for the tournament citing security concerns. Scotland express their thanks to ICC and were ready to play in front of millions of fans.
“We are grateful to the ICC for extending this invite. This is an exciting opportunity for Scotland’s players to compete on the global stage in front of millions of supporters. We also acknowledge 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,” Cricket Scotland chief executive Trudy Lindblade said in a statement.
ICC had kept Cricket Scotland on standby as the Bangladesh saga unraveled. BCB wrote to ICC multiple times, seeking a venue change citing 'security risk'. ICC dismissed those claims following their individual assessment. Further, a late change in schedule was too much of a logistical nightmare for the world body.
Scotland will thus play their four group league games against West Indies (February 7), Italy (February 9) and England (February 14) in Kolkata followed by a game against Nepal in Mumbai on February 17.
A desperate Bangladesh Cricket Board had written to the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) of ICC requesting it to overturn the governing body's decision to hold the national men's team's T20 World Cup games in India but its appeal won't be heard as it is outside the remit of the sub-committee.
It would mark the end of a long running saga. BCB of course can still debate the decision and take the matter to the CAS should they wish to pursue it further.
