"Bangladesh Looking Like Fools By Doing This": Ex-India Star's Big Remark Over T20 World Cup Snub

The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday gave its final verdict on the Bangladesh issue regarding the T20 World Cup 2026. The apex cricket body replaced the side with Scotland in Group C for the tournament. Notably, Bangladesh had requested the ICC to shift its matches from India to Sri Lanka -- the co-hosts of the mega event -- citing security concerns. Bangladesh were set to play four matches in Kolkata and Mumbai in the group stage. The international board, however, denied Bangladesh's request and gave the side a 24-hour deadline to decide on its participation.

Bangladesh stayed firm on its stance and ended up losing its T20 World Cup spot to Scotland, which was the best-ranked team among those failed to qualify for the tournament.

Former India player Atul Wassan said that Bangladesh's reason behind not travelling to India is "laughable". He added the country is "looking like fools" by taking such a decision.

"No one will miss Bangladesh in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026. Scotland is now getting an opportunity to show its calibre in world cricket. Pakistan is instigating Bangladesh for this. The reason given by Bangladesh for the security concern is laughable. Bangladeshis who are living in India are more secure in India than in Bangladesh. Bangladesh is looking like fools by doing this. ICC has done the right thing," Atul Wassan told ANI.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to let its team travel to India, citing security concerns in the wake of Mustafizur Rahman's ouster from the IPL.

ICC maintained that there was no verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh national team, officials, or supporters in India, and it was not appropriate to amend the published event schedule.

Scotland's entry into the tournament, starting February 7, ended the suspense over the fate of Bangladesh in the event.

At the ICC Board meeting on Wednesday, Bangladesh lost its proposal to shift matches by an overwhelming 14-2 margin, with only Pakistan supporting its cause.

The implications of Bangladesh's unceremonious ouster will also badly hit the BCB's coffers. The board will lose a USD 500,000 participation fee that each nation receives. But the bigger potential loss will be from the ICC's annual revenue share.

The BCB annually receives close to USD 27 million (330 crore BDT) as its share of revenue from the ICC, which itself constitutes around 60 per cent of its annual budget.

Add to that the loss of sponsorship money for not playing in the tournament. Last but not least, with India now not travelling to that part of the world for a bilateral series, the BCB will lose money that would have been equal to playing 10 bilateral series against other nations.

(With agency inputs)

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Topics mentioned in this article

Cricket India Cricket Team Atul Satish Wassan Bangladesh Cricket Team Scotland T20 World Cup 2026