Pakistan have decided to boycott their match against India in the 2026 T20 World Cup that is scheduled to be held on February 15 at the R. Premadasa stadium in Colombo. The Men in Green have been allowed to participate in the tournament by their government, but they will not be taking the field specifically for their match against India.
BCCI Secretary Devajit Saikia has now broken his silence on the matter and has said that the board will release a statement once they receive the official information.
“I can’t make any comment till the moment I receive the official intimation. It will not be right for me to pass any comment on this issue," Saikia told CNN News18 on Monday.
“The outcome of a match can be anything, but the thing is that once we get the information then we will give our official statement on this development," he added.
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The Pakistan government had officially confirmed that the team will be allowed to take part in the T20 World Cup that is set to commence from February 7, but will not be playing their group stage match against India.
“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 Pakistan government's X account read.
ICC fires warning to PCB
The International Cricket Council (ICC) have already had their say on the matter and have warned the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) about the consequences that they can face due to this move. The global cricket body wants Pakistan to reconsider their stance as it may end up affecting cricket in the country.
“The ICC hopes that the PCB will consider the significant and long-term implications for cricket in its own country, as this decision is likely to impact the global cricket ecosystem. While the ICC respects the role of governments in matters of national policy, this decision is not in the interest of the global game or the welfare of fans worldwide, including millions in Pakistan," ICC said in a statement.
India and Pakistan's form in T20Is
Meanwhile, both India and Pakistan come into the tournament after winning their previous assignments in the shortest format. While the Men in Blue have been in red-hot form in T20Is and have won their last two home series that were against South Africa and New Zealand respectively, the Men in Green clinched their home series against Australia by 3-0. It remains to be seen how the two teams perform in the T20 World Cup.