By Admin 
The controversy is deepening after Bangladesh’s exclusion from the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. Now a big statement of Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice President Rajeev Shukla has come out on this entire matter. He has clearly said that India had assured complete security to the Bangladesh team, but it was not possible to change the schedule of the entire tournament at the last moment. Along with this, he has also made serious allegations against Pakistan.
Rajiv Shukla’s serious allegations against Pakistan
Rajiv Shukla said that Pakistan is unnecessarily jumping into this issue and is trying to take Bangladesh in the wrong direction by portraying itself as a “sympathizer” of Bangladesh. Speaking to ANI, he said, “Pakistan is unnecessarily involved in this entire issue. It is provoking Bangladesh. The whole world knows what Pakistan’s history has been with Bangladesh. Now the same Pakistan is pretending to show sympathy.”
India had given full assurance of security
BCCI Vice President made it clear that India wanted Bangladesh to play the T20 World Cup. He said, “We had assured Bangladesh of full security, but when they themselves refused to play, it became very difficult to change the schedule of the entire tournament at the last moment. That is why Scotland had to be included.”
ICC had officially announced on 24 January 2026 that Scotland will now play in T20 World Cup 2026 instead of Bangladesh. This decision was taken after the Bangladesh government did not allow the team to be sent to India.
ICC’s decision after a long process
ICC had discussed this issue with Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for more than three weeks. The concerns raised regarding security were also discussed through video conferences and face-to-face meetings. The ICC also called for reports from independent security agencies and shared complete information about the security arrangements at the central and state levels.
All these assessments concluded that there is no concrete or credible security threat to the Bangladesh team, its officials and supporters in India. Despite this, the ICC gave priority to maintaining the fairness of the tournament and the fixed schedule.
24 hour ultimatum and then entry of Scotland
ICC had given BCB 24 hours to clearly tell whether the team will play the tournament or not. After not receiving any response within the stipulated time limit, ICC included Scotland as a replacement team under the rules. Scotland is currently ranked 14th in the T20I rankings and is above many qualified teams.