Pakistan to boycott India match at T20 World Cup, ICC warns of fallout

In an unprecedented move, Pakistan on Sunday confirmed its participation in the T20 World Cup 2026 but announced that it will boycott its group-stage match against arch-rivals India. The decision was taken by the Government of Pakistan after the International Cricket Council (ICC) removed Bangladesh from the tournament following Dhaka’s refusal to play matches in India citing security concerns.

The development comes despite prior agreements between the ICC, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)



to hold all India–Pakistan fixtures at neutral venues. Notably, the Pakistani government did not spell out a specific reason for opting out of the February 15 fixture against India.

Earlier, the PCB had publicly backed Bangladesh during an ICC vote that asked member nations to ratify Dhaka’s request for a venue change. Pakistan and Bangladesh were the only two boards to support the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), while 14 other nations rejected the request, stating that the security threat did not warrant a shift away from India.