T20 World Cup 2026: Will India Travel to Sri Lanka Despite Pakistan’s Boycott Call?

The T20 World Cup 2026 India-Pakistan clash on Feb 15 in Colombo is uncertain as Pakistan won’t play. The political decision has put PCB under ICC scrutiny, risking sanctions and match forfeiture, while India could be awarded the points.

The T20 World Cup 2026 clash between India and Pakistan remains uncertain after the Government of Pakistan officially confirmed the national team’s participation in the marquee event, but made clear that the Salman Agha-led side would not take the field on February 15 match at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

Team India and Pakistan were clubbed in Group A alongside the USA, the Netherlands, and Namibia. Pakistan has been allowed to play all its matches in Sri Lanka as per the pre-agreement between the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), and the International Cricket Council in 2025, given the longstanding political and security concerns surrounding travel to India.

Despite this arrangement, Pakistan refused to play against Team India, apparently as a show of solidarity for Bangladesh, which was removed from the tournament following its refusal to play all its matches in India due to security concerns, and was replaced with Scotland in Group C, which includes West Indies, England, Nepal, and Italy.

PCB Faces Scrutiny Over India Match Boycott Decision

The Government of Pakistan’s decision to boycott the high-profile clash against Team India has faced immense scrutiny, as the official confirmation was less than a week before the T20 World Cup 2026, which will begin on February 7. This has put the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) in the spotlight as its chief Mohsin Naqvi, who is alsothe Interior Minister in Shehbaz Sharif-led government,

The boycott of India’s clash did not come from the PCB but was a political decision taken by the Government of Pakistan. After Pakistan called for a boycott of India’s clash, the International Cricket Council (ICC) pulled up the board for selective participation, warning that such decisions undermine the integrity of the tournament.

It was reported that the ICC is likely to impose sanctions on Pakistan, including freezing its annual share of revenue, imposing financial penalties, and potentially restricting the hosting rights for hosting for future ICC events if the boycott is deemed a breach of regulations.

When Pakistan initially threatened to withdraw from the tournament entirely, the ICC warned of severe consequences, including suspension and significant financial losses, and cautioned that such a move could impact no-objection certificates for overseas players in the PSL and Pakistan’s participation in ACC tournaments.

Will Team India Travel to Pakistan?

With just 13 days left for the anticipated clash of the T20 World Cup 2026, there is an uncertainty looming whether Team India will travel to Colombo as scheduled or if the fixture will be decided by administrative intervention.

India will begin their title defence against the USA at Wankhede Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday, February 7, before facing Namibia at Arun Jaitley Stadium in New Delhi on Thursday, February 12. Thereafter, as per the schedule, the Men in Blue, led by Suryakumar Yadav, will travel to Colombo for the Pakistan clash. Will Team India travel to Sri Lanka amid boycott call?

Despite uncertainty over Pakistan taking the field on February 15 clash, India is expected to travel to Sri Lanka’s capital. According to the ICC rule, both teams must arrive at the designated venue, complete pre-match formalitiesm and await the match referee’s decision if an opponent fails to take the field.

If India wanted to draw two points if Pakistan boycotts the match, skipper Suryakumar Yadav will have to walk out for the toss and formally acknowledge the match as abandoned, after which the match referee would award two points to India according to ICC regulations.

Why Pakistan Would Not Get Points In Case of Boycott?

Though Team India would be awarded two points, Pakistan would not get any if they boycott the match, as ICC rules treat a no-show or refusal to take the field as a forfeiture. The Men in Green’s boycott of the match against Team India would be considered a defeat rather than a draw or a no-result.

The last time India and Pakistan faced off at the multi-nation tournament was in the Asia Cup 2025, where the Men in Blue defeated their arch-rivals in all three matches, including the final in Dubai. The last ICC marquee event between two teams was at the Champions Trophy last year, where India defeated Pakistan by six wickets.

India and Pakistan’s encounters have been restricted to ICC and ACC tournaments after the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) suspended all the bilateral series against arch-rivals followingthe Uri attack in 2016.

After the Pahalgam terror attack in 2025, tensions escalated between India and Pakistan, prompting the BCCI to reiterate that no bilateral cricket would be played with Pakistan and further hardening the diplomatic and sporting divide between the two nations. However, the BCCI agreed to allow Team India to play Pakistan in ICC and ACC tournaments.