PAK to boycott T20 World Cup fixture against India in Colombo, says government of Pakistan
Pakistan (Source: PCB)
Published - 01 Feb 2026, 06:51 PM• Read time - 2 mins
The government of Pakistan has confirmed that the Salman Agha-led side will boycott the T20 World Cup fixture against India on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
The government of Pakistan took to X (formerly Twitter) to give the team the nod to participate in the upcoming signature ICC event. However, it has made it official that Pakistan "shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India."
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.
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) February 1, 2026
Earlier, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, had mentioned that they wanted to speak with the prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, to decide about Pakistan's participation in the T20 World Cup after ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland.
Naqvi then met with Sharif on January 26 and shared that a decision on Pakistan's T20 World Cup participation was to be made either on Friday (January 30) or Monday (February 2).
"Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday," Naqvi had posted on X.
Notably, Pakistan and India have played against one another at least once at every ICC men's event since the ODI World Cup 2011, which was co-hosted by India, Sri Lanka, and Bangladesh.
The India-Pakistan fixture is one of the most mouthwatering clashes in cricket and garners millions of eyeballs worldwide. Therefore, this development comes as a major disappointment for fans of both teams. The decision to boycott the game against India can hurt them badly should they lose to any of the other teams in their group.
Pakistan are placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. They are slated to open their campaign against the Dutch on February 7 at the Sinhalese Sports Club in Colombo.
