Lahore, February 1, 2026: After nearly a week of uncertainty, the government of Pakistan on Sunday approved the national team’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 but barred it from playing against India in their scheduled group-stage match on February 15.
In an official statement posted on the government’s X account, it said: “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 decision follows a high-level meeting earlier this week between Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman and Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, held amid speculation that Pakistan could boycott the tournament after Bangladesh’s withdrawal.
After the meeting, Naqvi said he had briefed the prime minister on the “International Cricket Council (ICC) matter” and indicated that a final decision would be taken either on Friday or Monday.
Questions over Pakistan’s participation intensified after the ICC decided to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament. Bangladesh were removed on January 24 after refusing to tour India over safety concerns linked to strained political relations between the two neighbours.
The ICC rejected Bangladesh’s request to shift their matches to co-host Sri Lanka, citing the impracticality of changing the schedule so close to the tournament’s February 7 start. Hours before the ICC announced its decision, Naqvi had criticised the move, saying Bangladesh was being treated unfairly and should have been allowed to participate. At the time, he had also said Pakistan’s participation was not yet confirmed, noting that the prime minister was abroad.
The developments highlight growing tensions in South Asian cricket. The ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, is scheduled to begin on February 7.
Pakistan have been drawn in the same group as defending champions India but, under an ICC-brokered arrangement, are set to play all their matches in Sri Lanka at a neutral venue. The arrangement follows a “hybrid model” adopted during the 2025 Champions Trophy, when India declined to travel to Pakistan and instead played all their matches in Dubai.
Under the compromise for the upcoming tournament, Pakistan will similarly play all of their matches in Sri Lanka.
