The 2026 Men’s T20 World Cup, starting this Saturday in India and Sri Lanka, is already making headlines for all the wrong reasons. In a dramatic twist, Pakistan has confirmed they will boycott their high-profile group stage match against India on February 15 in Colombo, citing solidarity with Bangladesh. The move follows the ICC’s refusal to switch Bangladesh’s fixtures from India to Sri Lanka, prompting Bangladesh to pull out of the tournament altogether.
Bangladesh Out, Scotland In
Bangladesh’s absence has opened the door for Scotland, who now take their place in Group C. The dispute began when Bangladesh, concerned over security, requested their matches be moved out of India—a plea the sport’s governing body rejected. The fallout was swift: Bangladesh withdrew, Pakistan’s cricket board (PCB) threatened a full boycott, and political leaders on both sides weighed in.
Pakistan ultimately decided to participate in the tournament but drew a line at playing India. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made the government’s position crystal clear in a televised address: “We have taken a very clear stand that we will not play the match against India…there should be no politics in sport.” Sharif also called the move a show of support for Bangladesh, directly linking the boycott to what the PCB’s Mohsin Naqvi dubbed the ICC’s “double standards.”
High Stakes—On and Off the Field
For fans, this means the much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash—watched by over 600 million people during last year’s Champions Trophy on JioHotstar—won’t happen, at least in the group stages. Pakistan is expected to forfeit two points for not showing up, though it’s still unclear if the ICC will levy further sanctions or fines. Insiders suggest a financial penalty could be on the table, putting significant revenue at risk for the PCB.
The cricketing world is now left with an unmistakable void. India and Pakistan haven’t faced off outside of ICC tournaments since 2013, and India hasn’t toured Pakistan since 2008. Tensions have often simmered off the pitch, but this is the first time in years that a direct political protest has kept the arch-rivals apart in a global event.
While some officials have criticized Pakistan’s stance as “mischief,” others see it as a principled stand against what they view as selective treatment by the ICC. Either way, the Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 is kicking off under a cloud of controversy, with politics and sport once again tangled in a high-stakes match beyond the boundary.
