Bangladesh's India Stand Seen 'Hypocritical' By ICC. Report Reveals Pakistan Angle
Bangladesh will not take part in the upcoming T20 World Cup after the country's cricket board refused to send its national team to India, citing security concerns.
The ICC on Saturday officially confirmed Scotland as Bangladesh's replacement for the tournament after the BCB refused to send its national team to India, citing security concerns. The global body rejected the BCB's request to shift their matches to Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the event under a hybrid model. After conducting extensive security assessments with internal and external experts, the ICC concluded there was no credible or verifiable security threat to the Bangladesh players. However, the BCB reiterated its stance, claiming the threat level remained "moderate to high." According to a report in Cricbuzz, the ICC, in response, labeled the BCB's position as "hypocritical," noting that Bangladesh had traveled to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy just last year despite a significantly higher threat perception.
"The BCB is understood to have countered that report and claimed the threat was moderate to high, a position Cricbuzz understands was widely seen by the ICC as hypocritical, given that the team had toured Pakistan last year for the Champions Trophy under a higher threat perception," the report said.
In a historic and highly controversial shift for international cricket, Scotland has officially replaced Bangladesh in the upcoming T20 World Cup. The decision, announced by the ICC on Saturday, January 24, 2026, marks the end of a weeks-long standoff between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the game's global governing body.
The withdrawal was sparked by the Bangladesh government's refusal to clear the national team for travel to India.
Tensions spiked after the BCCI reportedly instructed the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) IPL franchise to release Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman for the 2026 season, citing unspecified "developments all around." The BCB interpreted this as a sign that Indian authorities could not guarantee the safety of Bangladeshi nationals.
Scotland is the highest-ranked T20I side not to originally qualify for the tournament. They are currently ranked 14th, ahead of seven teams already in the tournament - Namibia, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Nepal, the United States of America (USA), Canada, Oman and Italy.
(With ANI Inputs)
Bangladesh Cricket Team