Bangladesh Decides Not to Challenge ICC Over T20 World Cup 2026 Removal

Bangladesh will not challenge the ICC after being replaced by Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026 following their refusal to travel to India.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board has decided not to challenge the International Cricket Council (ICC) ruling that removed Bangladesh from the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. The decision was taken after the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland on January 24. Bangladesh declined to travel to India for their Group C matches.

BCB media committee chairman Amzad Hossain confirmed that the board accepted the ICC verdict after a meeting in Dhaka. He stated that the ICC disapproved of shifting Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka. The ICC had earlier warned that failure to travel would lead to replacement.

Following the ICC meeting, the Bangladesh government held a cabinet discussion and advised against touring India. The ICC later asked for a response within 24 hours. The BCB informed the ICC that participation under the given conditions was not possible.

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“We have accepted the decision of the ICC board. Since the ICC has said that we cannot go and play or they cannot shift our games to Sri Lanka, in this case we cannot go and play in India. Our position remains the same. We are not going to any separate arbitration or anything here,” Amzad was quoted as saying by ESPN Cricinfo.

“After the ICC board meeting, there was a cabinet meeting of the Bangladesh government, and a decision was made there. The decision clearly stated that our team will not be able to go to India. This decision has been communicated by the government. After that, the ICC asked us to reply within 24 hours. We told them politely that it is not possible for us to go and play according to this fixture,” he added.

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Meanwhile, Scotland replaces Bangladesh in Group C. They will face West Indies on February 7 and Italy on February 9 at Eden Gardens. The T20 World Cup will be held across eight venues in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.