T20 World Cup showdown: ICC gives Bangladesh 24 hours, warns of replacement

The standoff between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the 2026 ICC T20 World Cup has taken a dramatic turn, with the ICC issuing a one-day ultimatum to Bangladesh over its refusal to play matches in India.

An emergency meeting of the ICC Board was held on Wednesday to discuss Bangladesh’s participation in the tournament, scheduled to be hosted by India. According to ICC sources, the board decided that if Bangladesh does not reverse its position, the team could be dropped from the World Cup and replaced by another side.

The ICC has formally conveyed to the BCB that the Bangladesh government must communicate a clear decision within 24 hours. Failure to agree to play in India as per the confirmed schedule would result in Bangladesh being removed from the tournament. The decision reportedly received majority support from ICC board members.

If Bangladesh is excluded, Scotland is likely to be drafted into Group C in their place. Scotland had failed to qualify directly for the World Cup after finishing behind the Netherlands, Italy and Jersey in the European qualifiers.

The high-stakes ICC Board meeting was attended by chairman Jay Shah, BCB president Aminul Islam, BCCI secretary Debjit Saikia, Sri Lanka Cricket president Shammi Silva, PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, Cricket Australia chairman Mike Baird and senior representatives from all full member nations. Senior ICC officials, including CEO Sanjog Gupta, deputy chairman Imran Khawaja and events head Gaurav Saxena, were also present. Andrew F Graves, head of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit and representative of associate members, joined the meeting as well.

Graves had visited Dhaka last week and held direct talks with BCB officials in an effort to address Bangladesh’s security concerns about playing in India.

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board has written to the ICC backing Bangladesh’s stance of not playing in India, adding another layer to the growing dispute.

An independent security risk assessment report submitted to the ICC noted that while the overall security risk at Indian venues was assessed as “medium to high”, there was no specific or direct threat identified against any of the participating teams.

Bangladesh are currently placed in Group C of the T20 World Cup. Their first three matches are scheduled to be played in Kolkata on February 7, 9 and 14, with the final group match set for Mumbai on February 17.

With the clock now ticking, Bangladesh’s World Cup fate hangs on a decision expected within hours.