The International Cricket Council (ICC) on Friday confirmed pacer Pramod Madushan as the replacement for Sri Lanka quick Eshan Malinga, who was ruled out of the Twenty20 World Cup on home soil after dislocating his shoulder against England last week.

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup has long been a proving ground for associate nations, a place where emerging teams test their growth against the game’s elite.

The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup begins today in India and Sri Lanka. Ahead of the marquee T20 event, here we look at some interesting facts:

The 10th edition of the T20 World Cup begins today in Sri Lanka and India. Although the tournament build-up has been dominated by chaotic off-field developments -- with Bangladesh being replaced by Scotland following a row with the ICC and Pakistan boycotting their high-stakes group-stage clash against India in solidarity with Bangladesh -- here is a snapshot of the 20 teams participating in the marquee event.

In a format decided by narrow margins, execution under pressure has mattered as much as conditions.

International cricket tournaments have often been disrupted by political tensions and security fears, leading teams to refuse travel to host nations. From 1996 ICC World Cup to 2026 ICC T20 World Cup, many teams have refused to travel to host countries, citing different reasons that resulted in walkovers and replacements. There is also an instance of introducing a hybrid model when India refused to travel to Pakistan in the 2025 Champions Trophy. The instances are given below:

Politics has always been an inseparable part of cricket. It has been so since the days of the Imperial Cricket Council – the previous name of the International Cricket Council – when being a member of the Commonwealth was one of the prerequisites for becoming a Test nation.

The 10th edition of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup begins today in India and Sri Lanka against the backdrop of a chaotic build-up dominated by political turmoil, which eventually saw Bangladesh replaced by Scotland and Pakistan boycotting their high-stakes group-stage fixture against arch-rivals India in solidarity with Bangladesh.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav admitted Friday "there will be nerves" when India open their T20 World Cup campaign in front of more than 30,000 fanatical home supporters in Mumbai, but vowed to give them "entertainment".

Despite Bangladesh’s absence from the tournament, the country will still have representation through Athar Ali Khan. The popular commentator has been named in the star-studded commentary panel for the ICC’s mega event.

Fast bowler Josh Hazlewood was on Friday ruled out of the T20 World Cup after failing to recover from hamstring and Achilles injuries in another setback for Australia.

The T20 World Cup 2026 is all set to begin tomorrow. Yet, instead of discussions about on-field affairs, the cricketing world has continued to buzz with politics, protest and uncertainty.

Sri Lanka's cricket board on Thursday asked Pakistan to reconsider its decision to boycott their first-round encounter with arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup co-hosted by the island.

Group C is going to be one to watch at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026.

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said Thursday that his team would show up in Colombo for their T20 World Cup clash against Pakistan, despite their Group A opponents and arch-rivals boycotting the match.

"It's sad Bangladesh are not here. They have a very good side. Hopefully they will support us," Agha said.

The upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to platform the game’s latest trends, where it’s expected that co-hosts and reigning champions India will be at the forefront.

Former England captain turned cricket pundit Nasser Hussain said he supported Bangladesh’s stance of not travelling to India for the upcoming T20 World Cup and praised Pakistan for standing by Bangladesh.

The T20 World Cup begins on Saturday in India and Sri Lanka, with a chance for fresh faces to shine in the global spotlight.

Youth and Sports Adviser Asif Nazrul thanked Pakistan for standing by Bangladesh after Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed his country’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup match against India on February 15 was in protest of Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament.