In Focus Podcast | ICC T20 World Cup: Why was Bangladesh replaced by Scotland?

Bangladesh is out of the ICC T20 World Cup starting next month. It will be replaced by Scotland. Cricketing observers have slammed the sport’s governing establishment for mismanaging the issue.

It all began when Kolkata Knight Riders released Bangladeshi cricketer Mustafizur Rahman on BCCI orders. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) did not take kindly to this. It banned the telecast of IPL 2026 in Bangladesh. And subsequently, it asked for all its league matches in India to be shifted to Sri Lanka, which is the co-host. The ICC refused the request. Bangladesh refused to participate unless its demand was met. The ICC brought in Scotland in its place.

The entire sequence of events has raised many questions: Is the ICC guilty of ‘double standards’? Could Bangladesh’s request have been accommodated? Is cricket’s role in the sub-continent changing?

Guest: Amol Karhadkar from The Hindu’s Sports Bureau

Host: G Sampath

Edited by Jude Francis Weston

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