Pakistan to boycott T20 World Cup match against India

KARACHI, Pakistan, Feb 1 : Pakistan will boycott their February 15 match of the Twenty20 World Cup against arch-rivals India, the Pakistan government said on Sunday while approving the team's participation in the global showpiece.

"The government ... 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 post on the government's official X account said without elaborating on reasons behind the decision.

Pakistan are scheduled to play their Group A matches in Sri Lanka in keeping with their policy of not touring India due to geopolitical tensions.

Bilateral cricket remains suspended between the nuclear-armed neighbours, who engaged in a military conflict that nearly snowballed into a full-fledged war last year.

Their fraught political relations prompted the governing International Cricket Council (ICC) to broker an arrangement allowing them to play at a neutral venue when their neighbour hosts a global tournament.

The 2009 champions had earlier announced their squad for the 20-team tournament beginning on February 7, maintaining their participation was subject to government approval.

Their decision to boycott the India match is a serious blow to the viewership of the tournament because an India-Pakistan clash remains cricket's greatest blockbuster.

This is not the first example of geopolitical tension affecting the tournament though.

Bangladesh have been replaced by Scotland in the global showpiece following their refusal to travel to India over safety concerns.

The latest setback is a continuation of the soured India-Pakistan relations, which manifested in last year's Asia