Pakistan’s government has decided to boycott the match against arch-rivals India despite being approved to participate in the 2026 T20 World Cup. A statement said that the Pakistan team will participate in the World Cup, but they will not take the field in the match scheduled for February 15 against India.
Pakistani media reports said the decision was taken due to security and policy considerations. Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board accused the ICC of duplicity and said that it had been unfairly treated on the Bangladesh issue and that was why government approval was needed.
Bangladesh’s security concerns, the exclusion of Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL and Bangladesh’s defeat in the ICC vote – all these factors are believed to have influenced the decision. It is worth noting that Pakistan was the only one to support Bangladesh in that vote.
The 2026 T20 World Cup will be held jointly in India and Sri Lanka from February 7. The Pakistan team will play all their matches in Sri Lanka and will face the Netherlands in the opening match.