Pakistan travel to Sri Lanka for T20 World Cup 2026 amid India boycott stance

The Pakistan Cricket Team has departed for Sri Lanka to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, following their decision to boycott the highly anticipated fixture against India in the tournament. The Pakistan government granted permission for the national cricket team to take part in the World Cup but instructed them not to take the field for the match against India.

Following the official announcement of the boycott, Pakistan have flown to Sri Lanka to compete in the tournament, where they are scheduled to play all of their fixtures after reaching a mutual agreement with the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Board



of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) in December 2024. Videos of Pakistan players departing from the airport have gone viral on social media, with players such as Fakhar Zaman, Shaheen Afridi, Salman Agha and others seen carrying their luggage as they prepared to leave.

Meanwhile, amid Pakistan’s boycott stance, the Indian team is expected to travel to Sri Lanka as scheduled, with captain Suryakumar Yadav set to walk out for the toss for the marquee fixture. If Pakistan skipper Salman Ali Agha does not appear for the toss, the match referee will award India a walkover, resulting in two points being credited to the Indian side.