Pakistan will not play their scheduled match against India at the 2026 T20 World Cup. The decision was announced in a post from the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Government of Pakistan.
India vs pakistan (image credits : X)
Pakistan will not play their scheduled match against India at the 2026 T20 World Cup. The decision was announced in a post from the official X (formerly Twitter) account of the Government of Pakistan. While the government has allowed the Pakistan cricket team to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament, it clearly stated that the team will not take the field for the match against India on February 15, 2026. No reason was given for this decision.
Imagine the IND vs PAK match not happening in the T20 World Cup—yes, it actually happened.
— Ashish Tomar (@Atomar9131) February 1, 2026
Pakistan refused to play against India.#T20WorldCup2026 #INDvsPAK pic.twitter.com/ZjtQTefRmo
Pakistan have been placed in Group A of the tournament along with India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. All of Pakistan’s group matches are set to be played in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the T20 World Cup along with India.Pakistan will begin their World Cup campaign on February 7, the opening day of the tournament, with a match against the Netherlands. They will then face the USA on February 10, followed by a game against Namibia on February 18.
If Pakistan go ahead with the boycott of the India match, they will lose the game by default and forfeit the two points that come with a win. This could have a major impact on their chances of qualifying for the next stage of the tournament.The announcement has created a lot of discussion, as matches between India and Pakistan are usually among the biggest attractions of any ICC event.
The Pakistan Cricket Board supported Bangladesh during the ICC vote, where member nations were asked to consider Bangladesh’s request. Pakistan and Bangladesh were the only two countries that voted in favour of the proposal. The remaining 14 ICC member nations rejected Bangladesh’s appeal, stating that there was no strong reason to move Bangladesh’s matches out of India. As a result, Bangladesh’s request did not receive enough support, leaving Pakistan as the only other board to openly back Bangladesh’s position in the vote.
