The PCB may boycott the T20 WC 2026 in solidarity with Bangladesh, either skipping the India clash or fully withdrawing. This risks major financial losses, ICC sanctions, and reduced influence in global cricket, pending government approval.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is reportedly mulling boycotting the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 as a show of solidarity with Bangladesh, which opted out of the marquee event after the International Cricket Council (ICC) rejected its request to change venue for the group stage matches from India to Sri Lanka due to security concerns amid ongoing political and religious tensions with India.
The PCB chairman, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also Pakistan’s Interior Minister, criticized the ICC for ‘double standards’ in handling the situation, accusing the world governing body of cricket of treating Bangladesh unfairly by refusing to relocate their matches to Sri Lanka. Pakistan reportedly threatened to withdraw from the tournament if its concerns and those of Bangladesh were not addressed.
During the ICC board meeting last week, Pakistan was the only member to have voted in favour of the relocation of Bangladesh’s matches from India to Sri Lanka. Since Pakistan already has an arrangement to play all its T20 World Cup 2026 matches in Sri Lanka under a pre-agreement between PCB and BCCI last year, PCB’s support for Bangladesh’s position has raised questions about Pakistan’s own participation decision.
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Boycotting the T20 World Cup or India’s Clash?
After the International Cricket Council (ICC) officially replaced Scotland with Bangladesh in Group C of the T20 World Cup 2026, following the Bangladesh Cricket Board's (BCB) refusal to change its stance of not sending the national team to India for the marquee event, Pakistan jumped in to back Bangladesh’s position.
The reports suggested that Pakistan decided to express its solidarity with Bangladesh by boycotting the marquee event, which will take place on February 7. However, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) was awaiting the Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif’s return from Davos, where he went to attend the World Economic Forum (WEF) and a government directive before making a final decision.
According to the latest reports by Pakistani media, suggested that Pakistan might specifically avoid playing Team India in the much-anticipated clash on February 15 in Colombo rather than complete withdrawal from the T20 World Cup 2026, though the final decision is expected only after government direction.
India and Pakistan have a long-standing historical and political conflict with each other, which has resulted in the two teams facing off against each other in the ACC and ICC events, making any refusal to play a high-profile clash a major sporting and commercial issue for the global body.
Last year, India refused to travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy and instead played all their matches in Dubai. The Asia Cup 2025 was supposed to be hosted by India, but the BCCI decided to shift the tournament to the UAE following the Pahalgam terror attack, which raised concerns about the feasibility of hosting Pakistan in India.
Likely Setback for Pakistan
Pakistan will face significant financial losses if they refuse to participate in the upcoming edition of the T20 World Cup. Every participating country will receive $500,000 from the ICC, which Pakistan would forfeit in the event of a boycott. The Men in Green could lose the potential prize of $2 million in prize money and match-related earnings.
If Pakistan decides to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026, the Pakistan Cricket Council (PCB) would lose a share of revenue from the broadcasting rights and sponsorships, which could further put financial strain on the PCB at a time when the country is already grappling with economic challenges and pressure on its sporting funding ecosystem.
According to the reports, the PCB's share of revenue from ICC’s media rights, which is estimated at $34.5 million, is likely to be forfeited by the world governing body of cricket if Pakistan pulls out of the marquee event, which could significantly hit the board’s finances and could trigger further sanctions or restrictions on future engagements in international cricket.
Since Pakistan’s reason for the potential boycott of the T20 World Cup 2026 is not part of ICC-approved exemptions, any withdrawal could lead to sanctions, financial penalties, and restrictions on participation in future ICC events.
Possible Sanctions and Loss of Influence
Since the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) reportedly threatened to withdraw from the T20 World Cup 2026, the International Cricket Council (ICC) warned of potential consequences, including suspension of bilateral series with international teams, exclusion from future Asia Cup tournaments, and denial of Non-Objection Certificate (NOC) for overseas players to play in the Pakistan Super League.
The potential withdrawal from the marquee event could lead to Pakistan getting stripped of their ICC T20I rankings and also put them at risk of losing hosting rights for future ICC events. Pakistan was awarded the hosting rights for the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028, which could be jeopardized if the PCB faces sanctions or loses credibility with the ICC if they boycott the T20 World Cup 2026.
Additionally, Pakistan could lose influence in global cricket if the ICC decides to impose strong sanctions on the PCB, including reduced voting power in ICC decisions, limited participation in ICC committees, and exclusion from shaping policies for future tournaments. This could weaken Pakistan’s standing in international cricket governance.
Which Team will Replace Pakistan in the T20 WC 2026?
If Pakistan officially decides to pull out of the T20 World Cup 2026, Uganda could be a replacement for the 2009 Champions in Group A, consisting of India, Namibia, the USA, and the Netherlands.
The ICC will follow standard protocols for replacing withdrawn teams, which involve the highest-ranked team from the T20 World Cup qualifiers or the ICC Men’s T20I rankings at the time. In Uganda’s case, the East African side, as the next highest-ranked team outside the already qualified nations, would take Pakistan’s spot in Group A and assume their scheduled fixtures against India, Namibia, the USA, and the Netherlands at the marquee event.
Uganda made its T20 World Cup debut in the last edition of the marquee event, where they won one match against Papua New Guinea and lost the other three outings against Afghanistan, West Indies, and New Zealand.
It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will go ahead with the withdrawal or participate in the tournament after government directives, and how the ICC and other participating teams will respond to any last-minute withdrawal ahead of the T20 World Cup 2026.
