Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif: Pakistan will not play India in their scheduled Men’s T20 World Cup match at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15, after the government granted the team conditional approval to take part in the tournament.
The statement did not specify a reason for that decision, though it is believed that Pakistan will boycott the match against India to show solidarity with Bangladesh, who were pulled out of Men’s T20 World Cup for seeking relocation of their matches out of India, citing security issues and were replaced by Scotland in Group C.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan 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,” said the government’s official account on ‘X’ account.
