The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has confirmed that the national team will play in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, which will be held in India and Sri Lanka. However, the team will not play India on February 15 as planned.
There had been a lot of uncertainty about whether or not Pakistan would be able to play in the tournament, but the decision was made after a meeting between PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on February 1, 2026. The government said it was okay for the team to play, but they couldn't play against India on the planned date.
The Prime Minister was told about the situation with the International Cricket Council (ICC) arrangements by PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. After the meeting, a final decision was made. Pakistan can play all of its games in neutral locations in Sri Lanka with this hybrid model. It can also skip the politically charged match against India, which is usually the tournament's most-watched and commercially important match.
After Bangladesh pulled out of the tournament because they didn't want to play matches in India due to safety and political concerns, Scotland took their place. Pakistan stood by Bangladesh but chose to participate in some events instead of boycotting all of them.
The ICC responded by saying that selective participation "is hard to reconcile with the fundamental premise of a global sporting event," stressing that all qualified teams should compete on equal terms. The council told the PCB to come up with a solution that both sides could agree on. They also warned that the decision could have long-term effects on cricket in Pakistan and worldwide.
Pakistan's T20 World Cup campaign will start on February 7 in Colombo against the Netherlands. After that, they will play the United States on February 10 and Namibia on February 18. The ICC will decide how many points or matches to give to the teams that play on February 15 against India.
This situation shows how politics and cricket are connected in South Asia. Pakistan is not fully boycotting the India match, but they are still playing in other matches. This shows that they are taking a measured approach to politically sensitive situations.