India Bangladesh dispute, T20 World Cup 2026: After fast bowler Mustafizur Rahman was ruled out of the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) has refused to participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 matches to be held in India citing security concerns. Bangladesh has asked the International Cricket Council (ICC) to hold all its matches at some other venue outside India (such as Sri Lanka).
As per the schedule, Bangladesh has to play West Indies on 7th February, Italy on 9th February and England on 14th February at Eden Gardens in Kolkata. The team will play its last group match against Nepal on 17th February at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. Now ICC has only three ways to resolve this dispute. Time will play a crucial role in deciding which path the ICC will choose. Because there is only one month left for the start of the tournament and lack of time is the biggest challenge.
first option
ICC should listen to Bangladesh Cricket Board and shift the venue of all group matches of Bangladesh from India to Sri Lanka. With this, the format of 20 teams will remain intact and the dispute will be limited to logistics only.
second option
ICC should refuse to change the venue and Bangladesh should refuse to play their matches in India. In such a situation, the tournament will proceed with the scheduled matches. Practically, if Bangladesh’s opposition teams West Indies, England, Nepal and Italy are given a straight win and two points each, Bangladesh’s campaign will be considered almost over.
third option
Bangladesh should withdraw its name from T20 World Cup and refuse to play the tournament. In such a situation, ICC will have to decide whether it can include any other team in place of Bangladesh in time, or all the matches of Bangladesh should be considered as forfeit. Replacement is a better option in terms of competitive fairness, but it will become more difficult over time.
How will the second team be selected?
There is no public and automatic “reserve list” for the T20 World Cup that would determine who would replace a team if it withdraws. If the ICC were to include a team, the decision would likely be taken on a discretionary basis, taking into account factors such as fairness and the qualification process.
Will Scotland get a chance?
Scotland are believed to be the biggest name in this regard because they are a high-ranking Associate team, have World Cup experience and an immediate competitive fit. An example of this is that after Zimbabwe’s withdrawal from the 2009 T20 World Cup, Scotland were included in their place.
Scotland’s poor performance in European qualification
However, Scotland were not the next best team in European qualification for 2026. The Netherlands and Italy qualified for the Europe Regional Finals, while Jersey had the better of Scotland. If the ICC prioritizes qualification performance over rankings and prestige, Jersey could become the team to replace Bangladesh.
