The Pakistani government shocked the cricketing world when it directed its national team to boycott the league stage match against India in the T20 World Cup 2026. ICC might take some strong actions against the PCB, but will Pakistan make a U-turn? Here is the latest update.
The much-anticipated India vs Pakistan clash in the T20 World Cup 2026 might not happen now as the Pakistani government has instructed its team to boycott the high-octane group stage clash that was scheduled to take place on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The India vs Pakistan cricketing relations are at a new low as both teams have had some sour moments in recent times, with the future looking similar too. The Pakistani government shocked the cricketing world by directing the team to “not take the field” against India in the league stage.ย
“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 in a post on X.
While the Pakistani government did not give a reason for their boycott decision, it is understood that their call stems from Bangladesh’s removal from the tournament after their unwillingness to travel to India for the tournament. Pakistan were vocal about it and accused ICC of “double standards” after Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland.
Meanwhile, there is a case that Pakistan might make a U-turn on their boycott once the elections in Bangladesh take place on February 12. A report in the news agency PTI stated that there is “a school of thought that Mohsin Naqvi, who is also the interior minister of his country, might just make a U-turn once the general elections are held in Bangladesh on February 12 and a democratic government takes charge instead of the present one headed by Mohammed Yunus.”
“Naqvi, more than a cricket administrator, is a politician, who is not one bit bothered about the welfare of the national team. He is trying to score a brownie point with his and could well flip once elections are held on February 12. There would still be two days before the India game, and things could just change. Else he knows that Pakistan could be ostracised,” a source tracking Pakistan cricket said.
Broadcasters may move to court against PCB
Meanwhile, the Broadcasters JioHotstar might move to court against the PCB and the ICC due to the damages the no-India-Pakistan game would cost.ย ย “When the ICC signed its four-year deal with the broadcaster for all ICC events, the contract included Pakistan and India matches, based on which the broadcaster made the payments to the ICC,” the source explained. “So the broadcaster will be within its rights to take the PCB and ICC to court over a major breach of the contract.” It is reliably learnt that the PCB approached other members boards for support on the matter but failed to find any backers.