India National Cricket Team vs Pakistan National Cricket Team Match: Pakistan will boycott their group-stage match against India at the 2026 T20 World Cup, the country’s government said on Sunday. A post from the Government of Pakistan’s official X account said it had approved the national team’s travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament but directed the side not to play India on Feb. 15, 2026. “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,” the statement said.
Pakistan’s participation in the tournament had been uncertain in recent weeks. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had earlier said the government would take the final call after Bangladesh were removed from the World Cup on Jan. 24. Bangladesh were excluded after refusing to play matches in India, citing security concerns. Pakistan had supported Bangladesh’s request for a neutral venue and later accused the ICC of favouring India. Naqvi met Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif earlier this week and said all options were being considered, with a decision expected by the end of the week. Speculation had grown that Pakistan would avoid only the India match rather than boycott the entire event. That view strengthened after Pakistan announced its World Cup squad before the ICC deadline and indicated it would travel to Sri Lanka, a co-host of the tournament along with India.
This decision means the 2026 T20 World Cup is set to become the first men’s ICC tournament since 2010 not to feature an India-Pakistan match in the group stage. There is no clarity yet on what would happen if the two teams were to meet later in the knockout rounds. The India-Pakistan match is usually the biggest draw at any ICC event and attracts the highest television audience. Since 2012, the ICC has placed the two teams in the same group at global tournaments, even though they have not played a bilateral series for more than a decade because of strained political relations.
Pakistan are placed in Group A with India, Namibia, Netherlands and the United States. All of Pakistan’s group matches are scheduled in Sri Lanka. They open their campaign against the Netherlands on Feb. 7, followed by matches against the United States on Feb. 10 and Namibia on Feb. 18.
By not playing India, Pakistan will forfeit two points. Under ICC playing conditions, Pakistan’s net run rate will also take a hit, while India’s will remain unchanged.
