Pakistan have confirmed that they will not be participating in the 2026 T20 World Cup clash against India that was scheduled to take place on February 15 at the R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo. The Men in Green have been cleared to play the tournament by the government, but they will not be taking the field against their arch-rivals. This deveopment was revealed by Pakistan government's official account on X.
“The government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February 2026 against India,” a post of the government’s X account read.
Pakistyan skipper Salman Ali Agha shared his take on the boycott and remarked that it is not a decision that is made by the team, but rather was made by the government and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB).
"We are going to the World Cup. Humara decision nahi hai, hum kuch nahi kar sakte. (The decision not to play against India isn't ours, so we cannot do anything about it.) Whatever our government, the PCB chief tells us to do, we will do that only," Agha told reporters after the conclusion of the third T20I against Australia on Sunday.
The International Cricket Council (ICC) has issued a strong statement to Pakistan's boycott of the clash against India, stating that they are yet to receive any direct or written communication from the PCB regarding their withdrawal. ICC has also urged the cricket board to consider the consequences that this boycott could have on the future of cricket in Pakistan. It remains to be seen if the PCB do make a U-turn on their decision to boycott the game.
Meanwhile, Pakistan will begin their T20 World Cup campaign with the clash against Netherlands on February 7. They have already announced their squad for the tournament and have decided to nexclude important players like Mohammad Rizwan, Haris Rauf and Mohammad Haris.
Pakistan's squad for 2026 T20 World Cup: Salman Ali Agha (captain), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay (wk), Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan (wk), Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan (wk), Usman Tariq.