Pakistan make BIG move, set to participate in T20 World Cup 2026 but boycott India match due to…
In a surprising update on Sunday, Pakistan confirmed they will play in the 2026 T20 World Cup but will refuse to face India.
This choice by the Pakistani government comes after the International Cricket Council (ICC) kicked Bangladesh out of the competition. Bangladesh had earlier stated they would not travel to India due to safety worries, leading to their removal.
On Sunday, the Pakistani government made their choice official after a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PCB leader Mohsin Naqvi. Ever since the International Cricket Council (ICC) gave Bangladesh’s spot to Scotland for the 20-team event, the PCB head has been more vocal against the global organization. He maintains that Bangladesh was not treated fairly in the process.
The official X handle of the Government of Pakistan announced the decision, saying, “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.”
Earlier this week, Mohsin Naqvi talked with Sharif and mentioned that the final word on whether Pakistan would play would be shared on Friday, January 30, or Monday, February 2. Surprisingly, the news came out a day early. They dropped a major announcement stating they would skip the highly important match against their main rivals, which was supposed to happen in Colombo.
Pakistani media report that the meeting between Naqvi and the Prime Minister started at 6:30 PM IST.
Earlier, Pakistan had delayed the team’s World Cup jersey launch. It will now happen after a decision is made on the team’s participation in the 10th edition of the tournament.
Pakistan are in Group A with India, Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA. Salman Ali Agha’s team will start their campaign on the first day of the tournament, February 7, against the Netherlands.