Pakistan likely to boycott India match in 2026 T20 World Cup: sources

KARACHI: Pakistan is considering boycotting its group-stage match against arch-rivaals India in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup on February 15 in Colombo, sources said on Monday.

The move comes in response to the International Cricket Council’s (ICC) last-minute decision to replace Bangladesh with Scotland after the former refused to travel to India.

According to insiders, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reviewing various protest options and will keep all possibilities open, even if the team participates in the tournament.

Sources noted that skipping the India fixture would cost Pakistan only two points but could cause significant financial losses for the ICC.

PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi is scheduled to meet the national squad today, which was recently selected for the tournament.

He will consult the players on team strategy and discuss broader plans moving forward. Naqvi has confirmed that the final decision on Pakistan’s participation will be taken in consultation with the federal government.

"Prime minister [Shehbaz Sharif] is currently not in the country. We will announce the final decision after he [PM] returns to the country," Naqvi said while responding to a question related to what would be Pakistan's stance on ICC decision regarding Bangladesh.

He further stressed that Bangladesh were treated unfairly by the apex body, which he slammed for having "double standards".

"Bangladesh has been treated unfairly. I said the same in the board meeting of the International Cricket Council (ICC). You cannot have double standards, where one country can make whatever decision whenever and do the total opposite for another country," Naqvi continued.

"That is why we have taken the stand that Bangladesh is being treated unfairly and should be allowed to play the World Cup in any case. They are a major stakeholder, and this injustice should not be done," he added.

Naqvi further called out BCCI's influence in ICC's decision-making, stating "one country cannot dictate another" and warned Pakistan would take a stance if the dictation was attempted.

"The thing is that Bangladesh is the same member as Pakistan. And our stance is that if you have done this favour with Pakistan and India, then you should do the same with Bangladesh," he said.

"The main reason for this is that one country cannot dictate another. And if this dictation is attempted, then Pakistan definitely has its own stance," he said.

Pakistan’s T20 World Cup campaign begins against the Netherlands on February 7 in Colombo, followed by matches against the USA on February 10, India on February 15 and Namibia on February 18.

The Super Eight stage runs from February 21 to March 1 in Colombo and Kolkata, with semi-finals on March 3 and 5 and the final on March 8 in Ahmedabad or Colombo.

Pakistan Squad – T20 World Cup 2026:

Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk) and Usman Tariq.