India and Pakistan are set to clash on February 15 in Colombo in T20 World Cup.
Bangladesh was ousted from the T20 World Cup 2026 by the ICC after they continued to refuse to play their tournament games in India, citing security concerns. This happened after BCCI ordered KKR to remove Mustafizur Rahman from the IPL 2026 squad.
The Pakistan Cricket Board came in support of Bangladesh and first threatened to boycott the entire tournament, but then reduced it to only boycotting the game against India.
However, a report in a Bangladeshi daily has stated that Bangladesh's cricket board is concerned about incurring financial losses from this latest move. The India v Pakistan game is the biggest cash cow in the cricketing world, and it fetches moolah for every stakeholder, including the broadcaster and every member nation of the ICC.
The broadcasters and the other ICC member boards will suffer enormous financial losses if Pakistan does not play India on February 15 in Colombo. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) is currently freaking out about this information.
“If the India–Pakistan match does not take place, the entire cricketing world will face financial losses. Even our dividend will decrease. We did not want such losses," a senior BCB official was quoted as saying by Prothom Alo.
Given that they will not be participating in the 20-team World Cup starting on February 7, Bangladesh is already facing reduced revenue compared to what they had previously. Bangladesh was previously assigned to Group C with Italy, Nepal, the West Indies, and England. Scotland took Bangladesh's spot in the same group after they declined to visit India.
“This will directly affect the ICC’s central revenue pool. Like everyone else, we are also stakeholders in that fund. Take Kenya or Uganda, for example. They would be satisfied with USD 100,000-200,000. But given our infrastructure, how will we survive if ICC revenues decline?" the publication quoted another BCB official as saying.
Despite the financial worries, BCB officials sided with Pakistan for its support. They praised the PCB for taking a strong stand against the ICC by refusing to play India in the T20 World Cup.
“Pakistan wanted to send a strong message to Indian cricket. They wanted to challenge India’s dominance. From that perspective, the decision may make sense," said one BCB official.
"The ICC excluded us without properly listening to our position. Some response was inevitable. Pakistan’s decision not to play India is a very significant development,” another BCB official said.
It remains to be seen what action the ICC will take against Pakistan for its continued stance against playing India in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026.