Revenue freeze, massive fines, cricket isolation…Pakistan to pay heavy price for boycotting match against India in T20 World Cup

The International Cricket Council (ICC) is expected to take strong disciplinary measures against Pakistan after its government decided to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India. The Pakistan government has confirmed that the team will be participating in 20-nation tournament which will be held across India and Sri Lanka. This means that Pakistan will forfeit the match against India which is scheduled to be held in Colombo.

Among all the options available ICC can also decide to suspend Pakistan from ongoing edition of the tournament altogether. Other potential penalties include leading cricketing nations refusing to engage in bilateral series with Pakistan, significant fines and restrictions on overseas players taking part in Pakistan Super League. Despite having the agreement to play at a neutral venue – Sri Lanka, the Pakistan Cricket Board decided to create chaos and came in solidarity with Bangladesh after they were excluded from the tournament.

From a commercial standpoint, the fallout is expected to be massive. India-Pakistan T20 matches attract premium advertising rates, ranging between INR 25 lakh and INR 40 lakh for a second slot.

There are many key implications of Pakistan’s decision:

Complete exclusion from T20 World Cup

Withholding ICC’s annual revenue distribution

Mandatory compensation to Jio-Star for broadcast and huge advertising losses

Restrictions on bilateral series along with potential impact on World Test Championship and ICC rankings

Ban on overseas players from participating in Pakistan Super League.