India's match against Pakistan in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 on Feb. 15 is scheduled to go on, sources privy to the development told NDTV. The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had initially annpounced that the team will boycott the match which is to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka. But now, they seem to have relented, according to the report.
The PCB had said they were standing in solidarity with Bangladesh after the latter's removal from the T20 World Cup for refusing to travel to India for their matches. This comes only one day after the International Cricket Council (ICC), PCB, and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) officials met in Lahore for negatiations.
However, the PCB has not yet made an official announcement. According to reports from Pakistan, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi has stated that negotiations with the ICC are still underway, and a final decision will be taken only after consulting Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. Naqvi is expected to brief the prime minister on the latest developments later.
On Sunday, the PCB presented several demands to the ICC, but sources told NDTV that the Jay Shah-led governing body rejected some of the key proposals. The three demands turned down were - the resumption of the India-Pakistan bilateral series, the introduction of an India-Pakistan-Bangladesh tri-series, and a guarantee regarding India's scheduled tour of Bangladesh in 2026.
Why Was This Game Abandoned?
On Feb. 1, a post issued by the Government of Pakistan's official X account, announced that while the government had granted permission to the Pakistan team to travel to Sri Lanka for the T20 World Cup 2026, there was a little caveat. Simply put, "the Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on Feb. 15 against India."
A couple of days later, the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif himself would go on to reiterate this decision explaining further that this decision was taken in the interest of keeping “politics out of sports.” Speaking to his cabinet, the Pakistan PM explained that the decision was taken in solidarity with Bangladesh being kicked out of the tournament.
Bangladesh were replaced by Scotland in the tournament after the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) asked for their games to be shifted to Sri Lanka (co-hosts for the tournament) citing security concerns in India for their fans and players. The ICC rejected this request, declaring there was an “absence of any credible security threat” and gave the BCB 24 hours to confirm participation, following which they picked the next best qualifier.
The Fallout From This Decision
Pakistan's announcement that it will boycott the India match sent ripples far beyond the pitch. Pakistan's government directive not to play India has thrown cricket's most lucrative fixture into uncertainty, prompting the ICC to question the PCB's rationale under tournament participation rules, including any attempt to invoke force majeure as justification.
Meanwhile, Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) has publicly urged the PCB to reconsider, warning that cancelling the fixture could have serious economic consequences for the host nation and local stakeholders who have already invested in security, logistics and tourism linked to the high-profile game.
Latest Developments: Government-Level Consultations
On the Indian side, the BCCI has maintained that it will follow the ICC's guidance on the matter. India captain Suryakumar Yadav has publicly stated that the team is preparing as scheduled, with travel and logistical plans in place, underlining that from India's perspective, the match is being treated as "on", unless officially called off.
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