There will be no match between India and Pakistan in the T20 World Cup. The Pakistan government announced a boycott of the match on Sunday evening. The two teams were scheduled to face each other on February 15 in Colombo. However, it is not yet decided whether Pakistan will play the match if India faces them in the knockouts. The International Cricket Council (ICC) had given entry to Scotland in the tournament in place of Bangladesh on January 24. In protest against this decision of the ICC, Pakistan boycotted the match against India. Will play the tournament, but will not play the match against India – Pakistan Government Pakistan announced on Sunday that it will participate in the T20 World Cup 2026, but will boycott the match against India. The Pakistan government took this decision after the International Cricket Council (ICC) removed Bangladesh from the tournament. The Bangladesh government had expressed security concerns about playing in India. The government said in a post on X, “The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan approves the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026. However, the Pakistan cricket team will not take the field in the match against India on February 15, 2026.” PCB Chief Meets Prime Minister Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief Mohsin Naqvi met Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif on Monday, January 26. In this meeting, discussions were held regarding Pakistan’s World Cup participation and the match against India. Naqvi had said that a final decision would be taken by Friday or Monday. Now, on Sunday, the government took a decision on this. Pakistan will play only 3 matches in the group stage. After the boycott, Pakistan and India will play only 3 matches each in the group stage. Pakistan will face the Netherlands on February 7, the United States on February 10, and Namibia on February 18. Team India is scheduled to face the United States on February 7, Namibia on February 12, and the Netherlands on February 18. Pakistan has only defeated India in one match in the World Cup. Pakistan’s record against India in the T20 and ODI World Cups is quite poor. The two teams have met in eight T20 World Cups so far. India has won seven, and Pakistan only once. India has won all eight matches played between them in the ODI World Cup. What will be the impact on India and Pakistan? India and Pakistan are in Group A of the World Cup. Each of the four groups has five teams, with two teams advancing to the Super 8 stage. A boycott by Pakistan would mean India would receive two points from this match, making their path to the Super 8 stage much easier. According to the ICC’s playing conditions, a boycott would also impact Pakistan’s run rate, while India’s would improve. Clause 16.10.7 states that Pakistan will be held to 0 runs in 20 overs, while India’s will not be held to a single over. This would result in a negative run rate for Pakistan. It could also reach the World Cup. Group A includes India and Pakistan, along with Namibia, the Netherlands, and the United States. Pakistan could still reach the Super 8 in this situation if it performs well in the remaining matches. How much loss will the ICC incur? The India-Pakistan match is the most-watched match in the World Cup. Sometimes, its viewership exceeds that of the final. Broadcasters will suffer the most if this match is not held. Broadcasters have already sold all advertising slots for the match. The ICC is not directly harmed because it has already sold the media rights. However, if this match is not held, broadcasters may seek compensation from the ICC. According to various analyses, the revenue generated from a single India-Pakistan match in the World Cup is approximately 8 to 10% of the total revenue of the entire World Cup. Pakistan’s T20 World Cup squad: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafe (wicketkeeper), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wicketkeeper), and Usman Tariq. Why did Naqvi threaten to withdraw from the World Cup? The ICC removed Bangladesh from the World Cup after they refused to play in India. Scotland was given entry into the tournament in their place. In protest, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi threatened to withdraw from the World Cup. He told the local newspaper, The Dawn, “The ICC treated Bangladesh unfairly. We are now waiting for the government’s decision. If they refuse, we too will not play the tournament.” Following this, the ICC warned the PCB that action would be taken against Pakistan if it withdrew from the T20 World Cup. Why did Bangladesh refuse to play in India? The BCCI did not allow Mustafizur Rahman to play in the IPL due to the killings of Hindus in Bangladesh. He was dropped from the Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR) team on January 3 at the BCCI’s behest. The agitated Bangladesh government banned the broadcast of IPL matches in its country. After this, citing the safety of the players, it also demanded to change the venue of the T20 World Cup to be held from February 7. Timeline of Bangladesh’s exit from the World Cup ———————————- Read this sports news also… India reaches the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup India has entered the semi-finals of the Under-19 World Cup. Pakistan had to achieve the target of 253 runs in 33.3 overs to reach the knockouts. The team could reach only 167. Batting first in Bulawayo on Sunday, India had scored 252 runs. Read the full news…
