India-Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 clash to go ahead as scheduled after ICC-PCB meeting
T20 World Cup 2026: As per media reports, the high-profile India-Pakistan clash at the T20 World Cup 2026 will be played as originally scheduled on February 15 in Colombo, following a resolution reached after Sunday’s tripartite meeting involving the ICC, PCB and BCB in Lahore.
The breakthrough came a day after the International Cricket Council (ICC) held an emergency meeting on Sunday in Lahore with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, also attended by Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) president Aminul Islam.
ICC maintained its firm position that Pakistan had no valid grounds to boycott India clash
The ICC maintained its firm position that Pakistan had no valid grounds to boycott its group stage match against India, citing the Members Participation Agreement (MPA) and the December 2024 pact, which requires a hybrid hosting model whenever India or Pakistan hosts an ICC event.
Mohsin Naqvi, the chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), was also under increasing pressure from the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB), as well as cricket boards in Sri Lanka and the Emirates, to change its mind about pulling out of the India match. With options limited, Naqvi was compelled to meet Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Monday to request a rollback of the boycott decision.
Pakistan agreed to play against India
The report claims that although Pakistan agreed to play against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 during this trilateral meeting none of its demands were accepted
BCB appealed PCB to play the match against India
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) also asked the PCB to play the match against India during the meeting, which is scheduled to be played in Colombo. The BCB did benefit from this meeting, as the ICC agreed not to take any action or impose any ban on them for withdrawing from the T20 World Cup 2026.
BCB President Aminul Islam, reacting to the issue, said, “My short trip to Pakistan yesterday (Sunday) has had an impact. I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup match against India on February 15 for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem.”
He further said, “This has paved the way for Pakistan’s return, which had threatened to boycott the match against India in solidarity with Bangladesh.”
Earlier, Pakistan had created a stir in the cricket world when its government announced on its social media platform X that it would boycott its match against India in Colombo on February 15 in the T20 World Cup.