Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said that the Pakistan players would stick to the decision taken by the nation's government and board, and try to qualify for the Super 8 by winning their other three matches.
"We are players contracted to the Board and whatever decision our government and Board have taken all the players are on board with it. We have three other group matches so we will try to win all of them and qualify for next round," Agha said.

"There would still be two days before the India game and things could just change. Else Mohsin Naqvi knows that Pakistan could be ostracised," another source tracking Pakistan cricket said, according to a PTI report. 

While Pakistan are allowed to skip a match, they could face significant penalties, both on and off the cricket field, by doing so. Here's what the ICC rules say.

1. Net-run-rate loss: Not only will Pakistan get 0 points for the match, they will also suffer a significant NRR loss as it would be counted that they've played 20 overs but scored 0 runs.

2. Financial penalties: The ICC would be within their right to pass legal claims from broadcasters towards the PCB, as well as go as far as withholding their annual revenue share.

3. Government inteference law: The ICC Constitution (Article 2.4 D) requires member boards to manage their affairs autonomously, avoiding government interference. Pakistan's "selective participation" could be seen as a breach of the tournament's integrity and the ICC's constitution.

A sensational claim has been made in a report by PTI, that PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi could take a dramatic U-turn on his decision to support Bangladesh following the Bangladesh elections on February 12, should a different government come to power in the nation.

"Naqvi, more than a cricket administrator, is a politician, who is not one bit bothered about the welfare of the national team. He is trying to score a brownie point with his and could well flip once elections are held on February 12," said the report, via a Pakistan cricket source.

According to the PTI report, the ICC could possibly withhold Pakistan's entire annual revenue share as a sanction for their boycott. This could result in Pakistan not getting approximately USD 35 million (approx. Rs 316 crore).

The ICC has warned Pakistan that they could face legal action over their boycott of the India match from T20 World Cup 2026 official broadcasters JioStar, as reported by PTI via a PCB source.
"If Pakistan doesn't relent and play against India, not only will they face financial penalties, perhaps a lawsuit from broadcasters but also any efforts to go to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) are likely to fail," a PCB source told PTI.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also said that India have no reason to sweat regarding Pakistan's boycott of their T20 World Cup clash, as India will get two free points in the group stage.

"As far as India are concerned, they've got two points. They don't have to sweat about anything-not that they would sweat about Pakistan, given the way they have been beating them easily in recent times," Gavaskar told India Today.

Sunil Gavaskar also stated that Pakistan' decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India did not come as a surprise to him, considering they had even threatened to boycott the entire tournament after Bangladesh were replaced by the ICC.

"This is not a surprise. After the ICC decided not to accept Bangladesh's request to shift their matches, only two boards voted in favor: Bangladesh and the Pakistan Cricket Board. Pakistan also said at that point that they might not play the tournament. So, it was pretty clear that skipping the entire event would cost them heavily, but boycotting the match against India doesn't come as a surprise. There were hints they were looking to do something like this," Gavaskar told India Today.

Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar states that, much like the call to not shift Bangladesh's matches to a different venue, there will also be a unanimous decision by ICC member nations in the matter to sanction Pakistan for a boycott.

"When the ICC board met recently, the vote was 14:2 (regarding Bangladesh). It's going to be something similar, 14:2, when the ICC board meets again to decide on the sanctions against Pakistan," Gavaskar told India Today.

Former ICC Head of Communications Sami-ul-Hasan Burney stated that the BCCI could have avoided making a public statement on Bangladesh pacer Mustafizur Rahman's ouster from IPL 2026. According to Burney, doing so could've helped the T20 World Cup turmoil be avoided.

"Things could have been easily avoided if the cricket administrators or people responsible for the game had been a little bit more careful and avoided public statements," he said.

As per estimates, an India-Pakistan clash in an ICC tournament generates more than Rs 2000 crore (approx USD 250 million), and therefore, could result in a significant revenue loss for all stakeholders. Pakistan's boycott stance is likely to lose them millions in revenue.

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria, the country's highest wicket-taking spinner in Tests, stated that Pakistan's potential boycott would only come across as them being "scared" to face India.

"There is no logic in boycotting this match. Pakistan seems to think that it is supporting Bangladesh, which has already been knocked out of the tournament. But they should focus on their own cricket and where they are taking it. This sends a message that people will feel Pakistan are scared of facing India, which is why they are refusing to play," Kaneria told IANS.

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has backed the government's decision to boycott the India fixture. He also called on the ICC to respect Pakistan's sovereignty instead of issuing threats of sanctions.
"How many times has Pakistan played in India, despite the heightened tensions between the two countries. I have gone myself. The ICC should have thought of these things three years back!" Kamran Akmal said on the YouTube channel 'Game Plan'.

"The PCB's decision should be respected just as we respected India's decision to play in hybrid model. Things had gotten to such extreme levels. At the Asia Cup, they refused to shake hands with our players, then refused to accept the trophy (from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi. They had disrespected us!"

Harbhajan Singh slammed Pakistan's stance, calling their decision illogical. He warned that they should be ready for the consequences instead of looking for a convenient U-turn later.

"Begani shaadi mein Abdullah deewana," Harbhajan said. "Pakistan government has said that their team will participate in the T20 World Cup but will not play against India. There is absolutely no logic to this. This is the same Pakistan government and the same PCB that, after some time, will say that the dispute was actually Bangladesh's, the ICC imposed the ban, and we were ready to play and resolve the issue. This is nothing but a complete drama being created to mislead people," he said.

Pakistan have a warm-up game scheduled against Ireland on February 4 at the Sinhalese Sports Club Ground in Colombo. The venue will also host Pakistan's group-stage matches against the Netherlands on February 7, the United States of America (USA) on February 10 and Namibia on February 18, respectively.

Welcome to Sri Lanka

A warm welcome to Team Pakistan as they arrive for the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026
Wishing @TheRealPCB a great tournament filled with exciting cricket. #T20WorldCup #PakistanCricket
Ayubovan ... pic.twitter.com/vCsetn4tha

— Sri Lanka Tweet (@SriLankaTweet) February 2, 2026

Harsha Bhogle couldn't have put it better. He suggested that while a boycott won't hurt giants like India, England, or Australia, it could have severe financial implications for Associate nations that rely on ICC revenue, including Pakistan themselves.

"If there was an inevitable reduction in the ICC's revenue caused by Pakistan's forfeit and future uncertainty, the least affected countries, given other strong sources of revenue, will be India, Australia and England," Bhogle wrote on X.

"The most affected will be those completely reliant on revenues from the ICC; not just the smaller and associate nations but also the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and ...... Pakistan!" the post added.

Iceland Cricket is the gift that keeps on giving. Their latest indirect dig - amidst all the T20 World Cup drama-is gold. 

"Teams are picking and choosing their T20 World Cup fixtures. We choose today to announce our refusal to play any future matches against Denmark in Copenhagen. It is a jungle out there," Cricket Iceland wrote on X

Former England captain Kevin Pietersen is curious whether Pakistan would also refuse to play against India in the final.

"Not sure if India can meet Pakistan in this World Cup final due to groups and play-offs, but if they can, would Pakistan refuse to play the World Cup final?" Pietersen posted on X.

Pakistan’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup group match against India has reportedly prompted "back-channel talks" between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board amid concerns over potential financial fallout.

Media reports have claimed that Pakistan can boycott the match as there are instances in the past where teams have taken similar steps. However, in the past (1996 and 2003), teams boycotted matches due to security concerns (e.g., Australia skipping Sri Lanka). However, because Pakistan is boycotting a match in Sri Lanka, a neutral venue, there's no reason for government intervention. Hence, the move is a direct breach of the ICC constitution.

While Pakistan have decided to boycott the match against India, they will be taking part in the rest of the competition. Here's what the rules say about selection participation by any team in an ICC competition.

Sunil Gavaskar did not mince his words when asked about the boycott controversy and he even took a cheeky jibe at the Pakistan cricketers.

"I think in the next four or five days, when reactions start pouring in from across the world and even from their former players, there is a possibility that Pakistan will change their stance. What's new in this? We all know Pakistan cricketers retire and then, four days later, take back their retirement, saying 'our fans told us to play more'. This might happen again."

With no official communication from the PCB, the situation has stagnated for now. The ICC has warned Pakistan against boycotting the match against India but without any official communication, everyone will have to wait to see what Pakistan will do on the day of the match. If they forfeit the match, India will receive full points and Pakistan can end up facing major sanctions from ICC and other cricket boards.

Member boards have highlighted several contradictions that undermine Pakistan's intent behind the move. Pakistan's youth team recently played against India in the U19 World Cup without any protest or mention of a boycott. In a glaringly inconsistent display, the Pakistan Women's A team is still scheduled to play India A on the same day (15 February) with no plans to withdraw from the Rising Stars Asia Cup 2026 match in Bangkok.

This lack of official communication has left the PCB in a state of increasing isolation, drifting further away from the very community it depends on for survival.

According to sources, Pakistan Cricket Board tried reaching out to multiple other boards yesterday but did not get support from any. They find themselves increasingly isolated. Every board has mentioned that Pakistan has no locus standi in this issue. They played U19, playing the women’s game on 15th and not playing this one has no rational basis.

The Pakistan squad arrived in Colombo amid the ongoing controversy. They recently won the three-match T20I series against Australia but the controversy has certainly impacted their preparation for the tournament.

Australia skipper Mitchell Marsh had a clear reply for the reporters in Pakistan when asked about the ongoing T20 World Cup controversy. "I don't have any comment on that at this point. We are going to the World Cup to just focus on what we are doing, we will let that stuff take care of itself," he responded when asked about his thoughts on Pakistan's boycott of the India game on February 15 in Colombo.

Former Pakistan cricket team captain Shahid Afridi supported the government's decision to boycott the match against India.
"I've always believed cricket can open doors when politics closes them. Regrettably, Pakistan won't play India at the #T20WorldCup, but I stand behind my government's decision. This is the moment for @ICC to lead and prove through decisions, not statements, that it is impartial, independent, and fair to every member."

India will be travelling to Sri Lanka as scheduled ahead of the match and will have to take the field before the match is forfeited. The Indian cricket team is expected to wait for Pakistan on the day of the match and if they do not turn up, all points will be awarded to India.

After the Pakistan government's boycott of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup clash in the group stage against India, no instruction has been received by the Pakistan Women's A team regarding their status for the Rising Stars Asia Cup clash against India Women's A in Bangkok.

The ICC revealed that there has been no official communication from Pakistan regarding their decision to boycott the match against India. The Pakistan government made the announcement on social media but not has been communicated by the PCB as of now.

Hello and welcome to the live coverage of the controversy surrounding the India vs Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup 2026. Pakistan decided to participate in the competition but boycott the match against India on February 15. The decision has left ICC fuming and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can be looking at major sanctions if it goes ahead with the stance.