Manas Dasgupta
NEW DELHI, Feb 1: Ending all speculations, Pakistan on Sunday announced its decision to participate in the coming T20 World Cup but to boycott its match against India scheduled to be played in Colombo on February 15, in solidarity with Bangladesh which has been thrown out of the tournament and replaced by Scotland.
Pakistan’s decision not to take the field against India in the match in the league stage will have repercussions and is likely to be penalised by the International Cricket Council (ICC) besides automatically conceding the winning points to its arch rival India.
The decision was announced by the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) after the team’s participation in the event starting from February 7 was cleared by the Pakistani government.
The decision to boycott the match against India, conveyed through an official government statement, is being seen as a political protest linked with Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament after the world body declined its request to shift matches from India to Sri Lanka on security grounds. The PCB had earlier expressed its solidarity with Bangladesh and stated its decision to participate in the World Cup and playing the match against India would be depended on the government.
In a statement posted on its social media handle, the government of Pakistan said it has granted approval to the Pakistan cricket team to take part in the tournament, but said the team “shall not take the field” for the February 15 fixture against India in Colombo.
The decision brings an end to days of speculation over Pakistan’s participation in the tournament, which is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, and comes amid heightened political tensions in the region. “The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” the government posted on social media.
The India-Pakistan clash is the most anticipated fixture of any ICC event, drawing peak global viewership, sponsorship interest and broadcast revenues. Its boycott is expected to pose logistical and regulatory challenges for the ICC, which has built much of the tournament’s scheduling, marketing and commercial strategy around the marquee encounter.
While a walkover would hand full points to India, the ICC retains the authority to impose financial penalties on the PCB. Pakistan are scheduled to open their campaign against Netherlands on February 7, followed by matches against USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18. All matches will be played at the SSC ground in Colombo.
The current standoff is due to ICC’s decision to remove Bangladesh from the tournament after it declined to accept security assurances for hosting matches in India and sought a complete shift of its fixtures to Sri Lanka. The ICC rejected the request and replaced Bangladesh with Scotland, a move that triggered sharp reactions within Pakistan’s cricketing and political establishment even as several former Pakistan players and officials advised against taking any decision that can hit country’s cricket.
However the PCB or the government hasn’t made it clear as to what happens if Pakistan and India clash again in the knock-out stages of the competition.
Pakistan’s decision to boycott the match against India comes on the day when its junior team lost to India in the on-going Under19 World Cup being played in Zimbabwe and Namibia. India winning the match by 58 runs progressed to semi-final throwing Pakistan out of the tournament.
Put to bat first by Pakistan after winning the toss, India could score only 252 runs on a difficult pitch and bowled out Pakistan for only 194. Due to its poor net run-rate Pakistan not only required to win the match, but had to overcome India’s total in only 33.3 overs but at no stage Pakistan looked to be even trying to achieve the target in the required number of overs.