Pakistan vs India in T20 World Cup: PM Shehbaz calls for boycott

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has instructed the Pakistan Cricket Board to boycott only the T20 World Cup match against India.

The decision comes days after the replacement of Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament after the Bangladesh Cricket Board declined to send its team to India. The Bangladesh team had called for relocating all their India-hosted matches to Sri Lanka but the decision was being taken down by the ICC.

Earlier, premier Shehbaz held several meetings with the PCB chairman Naqvi regarding Pakistan’s participation in India-hosted World Cup matches. However, Pakistan’s late decision to boycott India carried significant weight, as it required careful consideration to uphold the Shaheens’ morale, mirroring the spirit shown by the Indian team during the Asia Cup 2025 matches against Pakistan’s Group A and Shaheens U‑19 sides.

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.

— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) February 1, 2026

Taking to social platform X, the federal government said that Pakistan grants approval to PCB to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the team won’t take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India.

The India and Sri Lanka co-hosted T20 World Cup 2026 was set to kick off from Feb 7 to March 8, howver the globally awaited cricket event now faces renewed uncertainty amid the ongoing political tensions with cricketing commitments.

With the refusal decision by Pakistan, the highly–anticipated Pak vs India T20 World Cup fixture has now been finally disrupted, potentially forcing the ICC to reconsider the schedule or points allocation.

Following Pakistan’s decision, all eyes are now on the ICC’s official statement, which will reveal how the latest development is reshaping the structure of this highly anticipated global cricket event.

However, what remains crystal clear is that under ICC playing rules, a forfeiture will affect Pakistan’s net run rate, while India’s will remain unaffected.

T20 World Cup 2026 full schedule

The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup kicking off from February 7 to March 8, 2026 will feature 20 teams competing across multiple venues in both countries.

Teams are divided into four groups with a group stage, as the global event begins from Feb 7 to Feb 20. Each team hailing from a certain group will participate in multiple matches at the said group stage before the Super Eights round.

With the Super Eights round starting on February 21, the tournament will conclude with the semi-finals in early March and the Final on March 8.

Matches will be hosted at a range of venues, which include Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Kolkata, Delhi, and Chennai in India, and Colombo and Kandy in Sri Lanka.

The hybrid hosting arrangement means that some matches, including Pakistan’s games, are scheduled in Sri Lanka rather than India.

Pakistan has confirmed participation in the tournament, although the PCB has announced a boycott of the India fixture on February 15, following government directives amid political sensitivities.