Surprise World Cup Entry: Scotland Set to Fly to India at Short Notice (Image Courtesy: Cricket Addictor)
New Delhi: Scotland will now play in place of Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. ICC has formally announced this. Scotland has also confirmed that its team will soon reach India so that it can adapt to the conditions here before the tournament.
Bangladesh Cricket Board had decided to withdraw from the tournament citing security reasons. ICC tried to reassure, but Bangladesh stuck to its word. Ultimately the ICC had to take a decision to include another team in their place.
The ICC formally sent an invitation to Scotland, which Cricket Scotland accepted. Board Chief Executive Officer Trudy Lindblad said that this is a big opportunity for the players, even if this opportunity has come under unusual circumstances. He said that the Scotland team was already engaged in practice and will now come to India and prepare in the local conditions.
The Scottish team is going to reach India in the coming days. The team management says that the players want to become familiar with the pitch, weather and grounds here so that there is no problem of any kind in the tournament. The T20 World Cup will start on 7 February 2026.
Before this decision, an important ICC meeting was held in Dubai, which was presided over by Chairman Jay Shah. Bangladesh demanded the Dispute Resolution Committee to resolve the matter till the last moment, but the committee refused to accept it as a forum for appeal. After this the ICC cleared the way for the inclusion of Scotland.
Scotland was selected on the basis of ICC rankings. The team has played the T20 World Cup five times before. It also participated in the 2022 and 2024 tournaments and performed well against strong teams, although it could not make it to the further rounds.
Scotland has been placed in Group C, where it will be joined by the teams of England, West Indies, Italy and Nepal.
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