Bangladesh withdrawn from T20 World Cup

2026-01-25 - 21:09

The International Cricket Council (ICC) yesterday (24) officially announced that Bangladesh has been withdrawn from the 2026 ICC Men’s T20 World Cup. Accordingly, Scotland has been invited to take Bangladesh’s place in the tournament. The issue is said to have originated with the withdrawal of Bangladesh cricketer Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders squad in this year’s Indian Premier League (IPL). Subsequently, citing security concerns, Bangladesh refused to tour India for the T20 World Cup. Bangladesh then requested the ICC to allow them to participate in the tournament at a venue outside India. However, following discussions and a vote among members of the ICC Board, the request made by Bangladesh was rejected. In response, Bangladesh stated that it would not change its position of refusing to play matches in India. As Bangladesh has therefore declined to participate in the T20 World Cup according to the scheduled fixtures, the ICC today announced that Scotland has been given the opportunity to take part in the tournament, considering rankings. Meanwhile, foreign media reports state that Pakistan Cricket Board Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has said that a final decision on Pakistan’s participation in the 2026 T20 World Cup will be taken after consultations with the government. This follows the decision to withdraw Bangladesh from the current T20 World Cup.