Pakistan to participate in T20 World Cup, will skip India match

News Desk 

Islamabad: The Pakistani government has approved the national cricket team’s participation in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026, but announced that the team will not take the field for its scheduled match against India on February 15, 2026.

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif held a key meeting with Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi to discuss the country’s participation in the tournament.

Following detailed deliberations, the government issued a statement confirming that while Pakistan will compete in the World Cup, it will abstain from the match against India.

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The decision comes as a protest expressing solidarity with Bangladesh, which had earlier raised concerns about the tournament but was excluded by the International Cricket Council (ICC). Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland in the competition after the ICC rejected all its reservations.

Pakistan’s stance reflects its long-standing position of separating sports from bilateral political disputes, particularly in matches involving India.

“We are heading to the World Cup,” Pakistan T20 captain Salman Ali Agha said during a post-match press conference after Pakistan defeated Australia 3-0 in the T20I series at Lahore’s Gaddafi Stadium.

“We will follow whatever instructions are given by our cricket board.”

On the decision to skip the India match, Agha emphasized, “The choice not to play against India was made by the government.”