Bangladesh’s worst-case scenario is now a reality. The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday officially confirmed Scotland as Bangladesh’s replacement for the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be held in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. The decision followed the Bangladesh Cricket Board’s (BCB) continued refusal to send its team to India, citing security concerns, despite repeated assurances and deadlines from the ICC.
How Bangladesh lost T20 World Cup participation
The ICC had kept communication lines open for weeks, with chief executive Geoff Allardice and senior officials staying in constant touch with the BCB. However, the governing body drew a line after the ICC Board voted 14-2 against Bangladesh’s request to move their matches out of India.
A 24-hour ultimatum was issued on January 21, asking the BCB to confirm participation as per the schedule. That deadline passed without compliance. Instead, Bangladesh questioned the ICC’s security assessment, which rated the threat level as “low to moderate”, and stuck to its demand for relocation to Sri Lanka.
The final roll of the dice came when the BCB approached the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee. That move failed, largely because the DRC has no authority to overturn decisions taken by the ICC Board. With no clear commitment forthcoming, the ICC felt compelled to act. Scotland were placed in Group C alongside England, the West Indies, Nepal and Italy, with the schedule left unchanged.
Bangladesh lose crores of money
The sporting damage is obvious, but the financial consequences are even more severe. By missing out on the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh are set to lose between $300,000 and $500,000 (INR 2.7 crore to INR 4.57 crore) in participation fees for the group stage alone. More significantly, under the Member Participation Agreement, the ICC can impose a fine of up to $2 million (INR 18.3 crore) for refusing to travel without a valid justification.
The bigger blow comes from revenue sharing. It was previously reported as well that Bangladesh could forfeit up to $27 million (INR 24.7 crore), roughly 60 percent of the BCB’s annual income, if they are excluded from the tournament’s central revenue pool. This includes the money lost out on broadcast share, sponsorship and tournament-related revenue. It must be said that Bangladesh were ready to lose this money to back their stance.
This is not it, the financial losses have begun to hurt players already, with Indian-owned bat sponsors removing Bangladeshi players from their contracts. Earlier this year, it was reported that Indian sports equipment giant SG decided to terminate sponsorship agreements with several Bangladeshi cricketers.
T20 World Cup 2026: Group C
| Team | ICC Ranking |
|---|---|
| Scotland (replaces Bangladesh) | 14th |
| Italy | 28th |
| Nepal | 17th |
| West Indies | 6th |
| England | 3rd |
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