In an unexpected decision, the Pakistan government has decided to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India.

Islamabad: In an unexpected move, the Pakistan government announced on Sunday that the Pakistan cricket team will participate in the T20 World Cup 2026 but will boycott the match against arch-rivals India. The T20 World Cup 2026 clash between India and Pakistan is scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. Pakistan will not field its team for this match.

The Pakistan government's decision comes after the International Cricket Council (ICC) expelled Bangladesh from the tournament, citing security concerns about Dhaka playing in India. Pakistan supported Bangladesh's decision. There was speculation that Pakistan might also withdraw from the World Cup. However, this did not happen, and the Pakistani government limited its boycott to the India-Pakistan match.

There will be no India-Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup

The Pakistan 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 15 February 2026."

ICC has not received any official information

According to sources, the ICC has not yet received any written communication from the PCB in this regard. Any action/sanctions will be decided after the PCB officially notifies the ICC.

This is Pakistan's schedule for the T20 World Cup 2026

Pakistan has been selected for the 2026 T20 World Cup along with India, the United States, Namibia, and the Netherlands. Pakistan will play all of its matches in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pakistan will begin its World Cup campaign against the Netherlands on February 7th. It will then face the United States on February 10th. It will face India on February 15th. Pakistan will then play its final league match against Namibia on February 18th.

PC:TimesNow Bharat