Pakistan to play T20 World Cup but boycott India match
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani government has approved the national cricket team’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026. However, the Pakistan cricket team will not take the field for its scheduled match against India on February 15, 2026.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held an important meeting Sunday with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, during which consultations were held regarding participation in the T20 World Cup.
After detailed deliberations, a statement issued by the Government of Pakistan said that the Pakistan cricket team will participate in the ICC T20 World Cup; however, the team will not take the field in its scheduled match against India on February 15, 2026.
It is noteworthy that the government has decided not to play against India as a protest, expressing solidarity with Bangladesh.
Earlier, the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected all reservations raised by Bangladesh and excluded the team from the event, replacing it with Scotland in the T20 World Cup.
Pakistan’s stance reflects its long-standing position of separating sports from bilateral political disputes, particularly in matches involving India.
In recent years, encounters between the two sides have largely been limited to ICC and multinational tournaments, with bilateral series remaining suspended.
The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is set to feature top international teams, with Pakistan entering the tournament as one of the former champions and strong contenders.
The T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8, is now facing renewed uncertainty as political considerations intersect with cricketing commitments. A Pakistan–India clash is traditionally the tournament’s biggest commercial draw, and Pakistan’s refusal to play the fixture could force the ICC to revisit scheduling or points-allocation scenarios.
Despite opting out of the India match, Pakistan’s participation in the rest of the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 signals a calibrated approach rather than a full boycott, following days of speculation linked to the Bangladesh issue and regional tensions.
The ICC has yet to issue an official response on how Pakistan’s decision will impact the tournament structure, while cricket administrators continue to monitor the fallout from both the Pakistan–India match refusal and the Bangladesh replacement controversy, which together have made the build-up to the World T20 unusually fraught.
Placed in Group A alongside the Netherlands, the USA, and Namibia, Pakistan is set to open its campaign on February 7, with the squad expected to depart for Colombo, Sri Lanka, on Monday (tomorrow) ahead of the tournament’s commencement on February 6. Web Desk
