The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) strongly criticised Pakistan’s decision to skip their group-stage match against India in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, which is scheduled to take place on February 15. The board said the move goes against the spirit of the game.
BCCI Joint Secretary Prabhtej Singh Bhatia on Pakistan's decision
Speaking to the media during the WPL 2026 final at the BCA Stadium in Vadodara, BCCI Joint Secretary Prabhtej Singh Bhatia called the decision completely wrong. He believes the ICC will step in and take firm action over the issue.
"This is against the sportsmanship of any sport. This is a very wrong decision by Pakistan. I am sure the ICC will take very strict action, and we will wait for the ICC's decision," Bhatia said.
When asked about the possible measures the ICC could take against Pakistan, he added, "We can't discuss that here, but ICC is going to take decisive action for sure."
Suryakumar Yadav on Pakistan's decision
India's T20 captain Suryakumar Yadav also opened up on Pakistan's decision not play against India. He assured that the Men in Blue are fully prepared for the anticipated clash against arch-rivals Pakistan at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.
Speaking during the Captains' media briefing in Colombo, Suryakumar stressed that India's approach remains unchanged despite Pakistan's boycott.
Sri Lanka Cricket urged Pakistan to take u-turn
Sri Lanka Cricket Board (SLC) has urged the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) to rethink its decision to boycott the high-profile India-Pakistan match. SLC warned that the move could lead to heavy losses for everyone involved in the tournament.
India's T20 World Cup 2026 Group Stage schedule
Defending champions India will start their T20 World Cup 2026 campaign against USA on February 7 at iconic Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai. After that, the side will face Namibia on February 12. Group A also features the Netherlands alongside Pakistan.
India's T20 World Cup 2026 squad
Suryakumar Yadav, Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, and Rinku Singh.