The “Bangladesh Solidarity” Factor
The primary reason for the boycott is a show of solidarity with Bangladesh.
The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) decided to refuse their India match travel plans because of increasing tension between political groups and their security worries which existed at that time.
India Pakistan News: The PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi described this situation as an example of “double standards” according to his statement. Pakistan argues that Bangladesh should have received the same travel exemption which India uses to avoid traveling to Pakistan through “hybrid models” that exist in the Champions Trophy. Pakistan is boycotting the India match to protest what they call ICC’s “biased governance.”
Diplomatic Tensions & The “No Handshake” Row
The 2025 Asia Cup created a situation where the relationship between the two boards became hostile. Indian players allegedly rejected handshake attempts from the Pakistani squad which Pakistanis considered a significant disrespectful act. The “handshake controversy” together with India’s power over IPL teams to release Bangladeshi athletes resulted in the Pakistan government adopting an extreme political position.
The “Selective Participation” Strategy
The “Selective Participation” system which Pakistan uses as its current method of international competition access. Pakistan plans to compete against Netherlands USA and Namibia while skipping their match against India to achieve their objectives.
The India-Pakistan match stands as the ICC’s most profitable event which will result in major financial losses when the match gets canceled. The match must be played because it generates the most revenue for both sponsors and broadcasters.
What Happens if the Boycott Stands?
The match on February 15 will give India an automatic win which awards them 2 points if Pakistan fails to attend the toss.
The Points Table shows that Pakistan needs to win every match in Group A. The Super 8s become accessible to them only through victory in all remaining Group A matches.
The ICC has announced that it will withhold Pakistan’s annual revenue share of approximately 35 million dollars because of broadcasting losses.
The official broadcasters Jio-Star have announced their intention to sue the PCB because they claim the board violated their contract.
Current Status
The ICC is conducting emergency meetings because they need to solve their current situation which exists as of February 4 2026. The players will obey government orders according to Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha yet fans continue to hope for a last-minute “u-turn” which will permit them to watch the match.
FAQS:
Q1. Does Pakistan boycott its upcoming match against India?
The Pakistan government declared on February 1 2026 that their team received approval to compete in the T20 World Cup but they would not participate in the February 15 2026 match against India which is scheduled to take place in Colombo.
Q2. What is the “Real Reason” behind the boycott?
The main reason for the boycott exists to show support for Bangladesh. Pakistan accused the ICC of “double standards” after it rejected Bangladesh’s “hybrid model” request and replaced Bangladesh with Scotland. The boycott serves as a protest against the ICC’s bias which results from India’s control over the organization.
Pakistan will not be eliminated from the T20 World Cup tournament.
Pakistan will only boycott their upcoming match against India. The team plans to compete in all their Group A matches against the Netherlands and USA and Namibia. The ICC has warned that “selective participation” violates the tournament’s integrity.
The points from the India vs. Pakistan match will be distributed according to specific ICC rules.
The ICC rules state that when a team declines to compete it results in a match forfeit. India will receive 2 automatic points from the match. Pakistan will receive 0 points and their Net Run Rate (NRR) will be calculated as if they conceded the entire 20 overs without scoring any runs.
