Bangladesh ‘Out’, Scotland ‘In’ for T20 World Cup: Cricbuzz and Cricinfo Claim

Bangladesh have reportedly been excluded from the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, with Scotland set to replace them, according to claims by leading cricket portals Cricbuzz and ESPNcricinfo.
The reports say the International Cricket Council (ICC) took the final decision on Saturday morning after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) refused to revise its position on not travelling to India due to security concerns. The ICC had earlier given BCB a 24-hour deadline to reconsider its stance.
Cricbuzz reported that ICC Chief Executive Sanjog Gupta wrote to member boards, stating that some of Bangladesh’s demands were not in line with ICC regulations. As BCB failed to comply with the ICC’s directive, the governing body decided to withdraw Bangladesh from the tournament and invite another team in their place.
A copy of the letter was reportedly sent to BCB President Aminul Islam, while the ICC also issued a formal invitation to Cricket Scotland. However, at the time of filing this report, no official response had been received from Cricket Scotland.
Scotland’s inclusion was based on their recent performances and current position in the ICC Men’s T20I rankings, where they are placed 14th. They will replace Bangladesh in Group C of the tournament.
According to the proposed schedule, Scotland are set to play their group matches in India:
February 7 vs West Indies in Kolkata
February 9 vs Italy in Kolkata
February 14 vs England in Kolkata
February 17 vs Nepal in Mumbai
ICC sources said Bangladesh had been given multiple opportunities to review their decision, and regular communication was maintained with the BCB. However, this marks the first time a team has been dropped from a World Cup for demanding a change of venue on security grounds.
So far, the ICC has not issued an official public statement confirming the development.