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The Vice-President of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Rajeev Shukla, has stated that the International Cricket Council (ICC) was left with no choice but to include Scotland in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 after Bangladesh failed to confirm participation, citing last-minute scheduling complications.
The ICC officially announced on Saturday, January 24, 2026, that Scotland would replace Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup, bringing an end to weeks of uncertainty between the ICC and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
Speaking to Indian news agency ANI, Shukla said that India had provided complete security assurances to the Bangladesh team but altering the entire tournament schedule at such a late stage was not feasible.
“We wanted Bangladesh to play and had assured them of full security. However, once they took this decision, it became extremely difficult to change the entire schedule at the last moment. That is why Scotland was included,” Shukla said.
The situation escalated after the Bangladesh government reportedly did not grant permission for the team to travel to India. Tensions further increased when the BCCI advised IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) to release Bangladeshi pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the 2026 season, citing the “overall security situation.” The BCB interpreted this move as a clear indication of potential security concerns.
In response, the ICC engaged in multiple rounds of discussions with the BCB for more than three weeks, holding video conferences and in-person meetings to address security-related concerns. Both internal and independent security experts conducted detailed assessments during this period.
The ICC stated that it had shared comprehensive information regarding central and state-level security arrangements, along with enhanced and phased security plans. These assurances were reiterated during discussions at the ICC Business Corporation (IBC) board meetings.
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