The Government of Pakistan has granted approval for its national cricket team to compete in the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. However, the team will not take the field for their scheduled Group A match against arch-rivals India on February 15 in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
The official statement from the Pakistani government, released on Sunday evening, read, “The Government of 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.”
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.
— Government of Pakistan (@GovtofPakistan) February 1, 2026
The announcement came after Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi met the country’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Lahore on Sunday evening.
This comes after the Pakistan Cricket Board’s threat to boycott the tournament after the ICC rejected the demand of the Bangladesh cricket team to shift their matches out of India. Pakistan was the only country to support the demand. As Bangladesh refused to play in India, they have been replaced by Scotland in the tournament. After ICC warned of sanctions if Pakistan boycotts the tournament completely, the PCB said they would participate if they were allowed to do so by the government.
Pakistan has not toured India for a full series since 2007, and the last bilateral encounter was in 2012-13, with matches since then limited to multi-nation tournaments.
The tournament, set to begin on February 7, features Pakistan in Group A alongside India, USA, Namibia, and the Netherlands. Pakistan team will participate in all other fixtures, ensuring their involvement in the event remains intact.
Pakistan team will fly to Colombo to play its first match against Netherlands on 7th February. All of its group matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka, including the match against India on 15th February in Colombo.
Under ICC rules, a no-show would result in a walkover victory for India, awarding India two points while Pakistan receives none. This might jeopardize Pakistan’s chances of advancing to the Super 8 stage, depending on their performance in other matches.
