Pakistan to boycott T20 World Cup 2026 match vs India on February 15

The Pakistani government has given its approval for the national men's cricket team to participate in the upcoming T20 World Cup, but has announced it will not play against India in the league stage match scheduled for February 15.  The game was set to take place in Colombo, Sri Lanka, as both teams were to face off in a Group A encounter. 

Due to ongoing political tensions, Pakistan had refused to play their matches in India, which led the ICC to relocate those games to neutral Sri Lanka. Meanwhile, Bangladesh requested to have its matches moved from India over security concerns, but the ICC denied the request.  In response, Bangladesh pulled out of the tournament, and Scotland was invited to replace them. Pakistan had earlier suggested it might also withdraw from the event to show support for Bangladesh.     Pakistan is placed in Group A alongside India, Namibia, Netherlands, and the USA for the T20 World Cup. All their matches will be played in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India. Pakistan’s first match is scheduled against the Netherlands on February 7, the opening day of the World Cup.  ALSO READ: ICC U19 World Cup 2026 Semifinals: Full schedule, teams, live streaming    They will then face the USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18. If Pakistan decides to boycott their match against India, they will forfeit the two points from that game.  Pakistan could face $38 million lawsuit