Key Highlights
The India–Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 boycott row remains unresolved with just six days left before the February 15 fixture.
The crisis was triggered after the Bangladesh Cricket Board raised security concerns, which were rejected by the International Cricket Council.
Bangladesh withdrew from the tournament and were replaced by Scotland, escalating tensions within the competition.
The Pakistan Cricket Board announced a boycott of the India match, citing force majeure and government advice.
The ICC dismissed Pakistan’s justification and warned of fines and possible sanctions, pointing out Pakistan are playing all matches in Sri Lanka.
Despite failed talks on February 8, Pakistan are still expected to take the field on February 15, though no final resolution has been announced.
The T20 World Cup 2026 boycott row seems to never end as the impasse continues, even with only 6 days remaining for the fixture between India and Pakistan. There seems to be a small movement with Pakistan making some demands if they want to play the match against India.
How the India–Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Boycott Row Began
So when did all this begin? After Mustafizur Rahman was removed from Kolkata Knight Riders for the IPL and amid violence against Hindus that erupted in Bangladesh, the BCB felt unsafe playing in India, so they demanded to play in Sri Lanka instead, but ICC refused, citing that India was perfectly safe. Bangladesh did not back down and pulled out of the tournament, and they were replaced by Scotland. Pakistan, showing support for Bangladesh, decided to boycott its match against India on February 15th.
The issue was not addressed, though, as ICC decided to hold talks with the Pakistan Cricket Board so as to convince them to continue with the game. Pakistan stood to lose a lot if they went ahead with the boycott, so it looks difficult that they boycott the game unless they agree to the fines that will be handed to them.
Pakistan told the ICC that they have cited Force Majeure as the reason for the boycott, and they have been told by the government not to go ahead with the game. The ICC were not pleased with it one bit and asked how a force majeure could be applied in this case and informed Pakistan about the sanctions.
Pakistan started the tournament with a scrappy win over the Netherlands, and they know that if they boycott the game against India, they cannot afford any slip-ups. Pakistan, though, have denied that they have met with the ICC for any negotiations. It is said that Pakistan cannot use force majeure as a reason, as they were playing all their games in Sri Lanka, and they do not have any issues playing in that country.
ICC–PCB Talks and Pakistan’s Position Ahead of the India Clash
Then, ICC decided to hold a meeting with the PCB on Sunday, 8th February. BCB chief Aminul Islam also attended the meeting on Sunday.
In the meeting, PCB put forward three demands in front of the ICC, which were:
1. A higher share of ICC revenue,
2. Resumption of Bilateral Cricket ties with India and Handshakes in India-Pakistan clash. BCB also made a monetary claim and the hosting rights of an ICC event in the future.
The final decision, according to the PCB, rests with their government and Mohsin Naqvi has a meeting on Monday with the Prime Minister to discuss the way forward. It seems though that PCB will take the field on 15th to play against India. As of now, the impasse still stands and we will just have to wait and watch.
