West Indies Vs Scotland Preview, ICC T20 World Cup 2026: Late Entrants Eye Upset Against Two‑Time Champions

Scotland will look to show their last-minute entry into the T20 World Cup was no fluke when they open their campaign against two-time champions West Indies here on Saturday, turning an unexpected opportunity into a chance to rattle bigger rivals.

Following negotiations with the Bangladesh Cricket Board for close to a month, the ICC were eventually forced to replace Bangladesh with Scotland, who thus made a dramatic entry to the global showpiece barely two weeks before the start.

Bangladesh had four group matches scheduled in India, including three in Kolkata, but the BCB remained adamant about not travelling, citing "security concerns".

It all began after the BCCI on January 3 instructed Kolkata Knight Riders to release Mustafizur Rahman from their IPL 2026 squad amid deteriorating relations between India and Bangladesh.

All hell broke loose a day later as the BCB informed the ICC that the Bangladesh team would not travel for its matches to India and remained adamant, opening the door for Scotland based on their ranking.

But the late entrants Scotland, who came fourth in the European Qualifier, behind Netherlands, Italy and Jersey, insisted they are not merely stand-ins.

"We're very sympathetic towards Bangladesh players. But we still massively believe that we should be here," left-arm spinner Mark Watt, who is one of their most experienced stalwarts with 77 T20Is and 82 ODIs, said on the eve of the T20 World Cup opener.

"We had a blip in the summer and we believe that we should be here and we believe that we can be beating teams higher ranked than us. So there's no second guessing our invite into this tournament. We're all ready to go," he added.

Scotland's confidence is backed by results.

They stunned West Indies by 42 runs in the 2022-23 T20 World Cup in Australia with Watt claiming 3/12 and have beaten them twice across formats, including a seven-wicket ODI win at the 2023 World Cup Qualifier.

"I don't think teams will take us lightly. We've caused a few upsets in the past. We had a really good start against England in the last World Cup game that was sadly rained off. I don't think teams will be taking us lightly at all."

Despite minimal preparation time, the belief within the squad is strong, particularly among the younger players suddenly thrust onto the global stage.

"We got a lot of youngsters in the team at the moment and how more excited can they be. Ten days ago they were sitting and doing nothing, now they're here in India playing in a World Cup, it's absolutely amazing for them, we're all so excited to be here and ready to go."

With their group also boasting neighbours England, Watt said the larger goal is to upset Test-playing nations.

"Scotland playing at the World Cup, that's going to inspire the younger generation, that's what our job is to do – go out there and beat Test-playing nations and inspire young kids to grow up and look at us on the TV and say I want to be able to do that."

Preparing for Kolkata's conditions, Watt even sought advice from Afghanistan's spin stalwarts Rashid Khan and Mohammed Nabi during their warmup match in Bengaluru.

"I spoke to a few of the Afghani players, like Nabi and Rashid about what's the best way to bowl in Kolkata," he said.

Their squad blends experience and fresh faces.

Former New Zealand batter Tom Bruce bolsters the middle order, Afghanistan-born 19-year-old seamer Zainullah Ihsan adds raw pace, while Watt's variations and Brandon McMullen's explosive hitting – including a 95 off 39 in a warm-up – underline their upset potential.

Two-time champions West Indies, who last won the global showpiece at this very venue in 2016, though will remain dangerous despite inconsistent returns.

Sherfane Rutherford (334 runs) and Shai Hope (276 runs) have been prolific in recently-concluded SA20 for Pretoria Capitals while in bowling Shamar Joseph and Akeal Hosein will provide ample firepower.

Teams:

West Indies: Shai Hope (captain), Johnson Charles, Roston Chase, Matthew Forde, Shimron Hetmyer, Jason Holder, Akeal Hosein, Shamar Joseph, Brandon King, Gudakesh Motie, Rovman Powell, Sherfane Rutherford, Quentin Sampson, Jayden Seales, Romario Shepherd.

Scotland: Richie Berrington (captain), Tom Bruce, Matthew Cross, Bradley Currie, Oliver Davidson, Chris Greaves, Zainullah Ihsan, Michael Jones, Michael Leask, Finlay McCreath, Brandon McMullen, George Munsey, Safyaan Sharif, Mark Watt, Brad Wheal.

Match starts: 3pm IST.