Pakistan have decided to forfeit Group A match against India at T20 World Cup 2026.
The Government of Pakistan on Sunday (February 1) announced that its men’s team would travel to Sri Lanka for T20 World Cup 2026 but would not take the field against India on February 15.
Pakistan’s ‘boycott’ move comes days after the ICC rejected Bangladesh’s plea to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka. BCB had cited ‘security concerns” for their players in India following heightened tensions between the two countries and the release of Mustafizur Rahman by IPL franchise KKR on BCCI’s instructions.
However, the global governing body turned down the request, saying no such verifiable threat existed while also highlighting the logistical difficulty of altering the tournament schedule so close to the event. Bangladesh maintained their stance and were later replaced by Scotland in the 20-team tournament.
Reacting to the development, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has slammed the growing politicisation of cricket. He called Pakistan’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup group-stage match against India “disgraceful” and urged all stakeholders to engage in urgent dialogue to resolve the crisis.
Tharoor also weighed in on Mustafizur’s IPL saga, stating that the left-arm quick should never have been denied his KKR contract and termed Bangladesh’s response an overreaction.
"It is pretty disgraceful that sport has been politicised in this way on both sides, frankly. I don't think that Mustafizur should have been denied his contract to play in Kolkata. It was most unfortunate. Intrusion of politics, I think the Bangladeshi reaction was an overreaction but it is also a reflection of the same and Pakistan is trying to show its solidarity with Bangladesh. This whole thing is spiralling out of control," Tharoor told reporters.
"I think we need to really need to come to an understanding that sports, especially a sport like Cricket which means so much to all the people, should be a means of bringing us together at least on the playing field, rather than allowing this to go on like this. I honestly think this is now a wake up call for all concerned to contact each other on an emergency basis, the ICC could be the platform for it - just say, let's call off this nonsense...You can't go on like this forever," Tharoor added.
The Pakistan government did not specify a reason for boycotting the India match. Subsequently, the ICC issued a formal statement, citing that selective participation will not be allowed and asked Pakistan to rethink its decision.
"While the ICC respects the roles of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan. The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country as this is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem, which it is itself a member and beneficiary of," the release said.
"It expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders," the release said further.
India hold a dominant 7-1 record over Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cups. The global showpiece begins on February 7, with defending champions India placed in Group A alongside Pakistan, Namibia, Netherlands, and USA.