Key Points
- BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla claimed full security was offered to the Bangladesh cricket team.
- Shukla said it was difficult to change the World Cup schedule at the last moment.
- Bangladesh withdrew from T20 World Cup due to a lack of government clearance for travel to India.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla said that India offered full security to the Bangladesh cricket team, but it was difficult to change the entire ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 schedule at the last moment.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Saturday, January 24, 2026, confirmed that Scotland have replaced Bangladesh at the marquee event, saying the "difficult decision" was taken since it was not feasible to meet Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) request to shift their matches to Sri Lanka.
The announcement marked the end of weeks-long standoff between the BCB and the game's global governing body following the latter's refusal to let its team travel to India citing security concerns in the wake of Mustafizur Rahman's ouster from the IPL.
"We wanted Bangladesh to play, and we also assured them full security, but since they have already made a decision, it was very difficult to change the entire schedule at the last moment. That is why Scotland were brought in," Shukla said.
The already strained relations between the two nations worsened after the BCCI reportedly instructed IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders to exclude Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman from their roster, citing unspecified "developments all around."
The BCB interpreted this as a sign that Indian authorities could not guarantee the safety of Bangladeshi nationals. The decision followed an extensive process undertaken by the ICC to address concerns raised by the BCB about hosting its scheduled matches in India.
Hectic parleys yield no results
The ICC and the BCB held multiple rounds of meetings to solve the issue, but to no avail.
The ICC reviewed security protocols for venues hosting Bangladesh's matches and held that independent security assessments and comprehensive venue-level security reviews indicated that there was no threat to Bangladesh players, media, officials and fans in India.
The ICC also stressed the importance of preserving the integrity and sanctity of the tournament schedule, safeguarding the interests of all participating teams and fans, and avoiding the establishment of precedents that could undermine the neutrality and fairness of events held under its aegis.
On Wednesday, January 21, 2026, the ICC instructed the BCB to confirm, within 24 hours, whether Bangladesh would participate in the tournament as scheduled.
As no confirmation was made within the stipulated deadline, the ICC proceeded in line with its established governance and qualification processes to identify a replacement team.
Duly, Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland based on team rankings for the tournament.
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