Pakistan government has announced via social media that its national team "shall not take the field" in the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India without giving any reason.

The marquee fixture is scheduled for February 15 in Colombo. The arch-rivals are placed in Group A with Namibia, Netherlands and USA.

On Tuesday (February 3), India head coach Gautam Gambhir was asked about Pakistan’s selective boycott move but he chose to ignore the question.

In a viral video, Gambhir was spotted leaving for Mumbai, where he was mobbed by the mediapersons. He thanked the reporters for their well-wishes but evaded questions on Pakistan's stance before entering the airport.

While the Pakistan government did not specify a reason for boycotting the India match, the ICC issued a formal statement, citing that selective participation will not be allowed and asked Pakistan to reconsider its stance.

The decision followed the ICC’s removal of Bangladesh from the 20-tournament after BCB refused to travel to India citing 'security concerns'. Bangladesh remained firm on its stance of not playing on Indian soil, leading the apex body to replace them with Scotland.

Pakistan are slated to play all their T20 World Cup fixtures in Sri Lanka under a hybrid model agreement with the BCCI and ICC till 2027.

If the Men in Green fail to take the field against India on February 15, the match will be ruled a forfeit under ICC rules, resulting in an automatic loss of two points and a hit to their net run rate. Moreover, severe sanctions are likely to be imposed on PCB that could isolate Pakistan cricket.