Pakistan Announces Boycott of T20 World Cup Match Against India

The government's decision leaves no reason cited, raising questions ahead of the February 15 fixture in Sri Lanka.

The Pakistan government has said that Pakistan will not play India on February 15 AFP/Getty Images

Dubai - The Pakistani government has officially declared that its national cricket team will not face India in their scheduled Group A encounter at the 2026 ICC Men's T20 World Cup. The announcement was made via the Government of Pakistan's official account on X, which confirmed that while the team has been given the green light to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament, it will stand down for the February 15 match against India. No reason was provided for the decision.

The development marks a significant escalation in the ongoing political tensions between the two South Asian nations, which have not contested a bilateral cricket series in over a decade. The India-Pakistan fixture has long been considered the single most commercially valuable and widely viewed match in any ICC competition, and the governing body has deliberately placed the two sides in the same group at every major event since 2012 to guarantee the clash takes place.

The decision comes after weeks of mounting uncertainty surrounding Pakistan's involvement in the tournament. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi first raised doubts about Pakistan's participation in late January, following Bangladesh's removal from the event after that nation refused to play any matches hosted in India over security concerns. Pakistan publicly backed Bangladesh's stance and accused the ICC of showing favouritism toward India in its handling of the situation. Naqvi indicated at the time that the final call would rest with the Pakistani government.

Reports in the days leading up to the announcement suggested Pakistan was likely to take a middle path — attending the tournament but specifically withdrawing from the India game — rather than pulling out entirely. That expectation proved accurate. The PCB named a squad within the ICC's deadline, and the team is set to contest its remaining group fixtures: against the Netherlands on February 7, the USA on February 10, and Namibia on February 18.

The sporting consequences of the boycott will fall squarely on Pakistan. Under ICC playing conditions, forfeiting a match means the opposing team is awarded two points, while the defaulting side's net run rate calculation will assume a full 20-over innings of zero runs — a significant statistical penalty that could affect their qualification prospects.

It is not yet clear what would happen should the two nations be drawn against each other in a knockout round. For now, the 2026 T20 World Cup is set to become the first men's ICC event since 2010 in which India and Pakistan do not meet during the group stage.