"BCCI, Government Have Decided": Suryakumar Yadav's Clear Stand On Pakistan's T20 World Cup 'Boycott' Tantrum

Suryakumar Yadav said on Thursday that India are ready to play in the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match against Pakistan amid the ongoing 'boycott' controversy. Pakistan announced that they will take part in the competition but will boycott the match against India on February 15. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed their stance once again on Wednesday and skipper Salman Ali Agha said that the national team will follow the instructions of their government. However, at the T20 World Cup 2026 Captains' Day press conference, Suryakumar said that the boycott conversation did not come from India's side and confirmed that the team will be present in Colombo on February 15 for the match.

"I think mindset is pretty clear. We have not said no to playing the match. It came from the other side. ICC has given the official fixtures. BCCI and the government has decided on a neutral venue along with ICC. Our flight is booked for Colombo. So we are going for sure," Suryakumar said.

"The team discussion is that we are playing first on February 7, then we will go there," he added.

Meanwhile, on Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's statement reitering his nation's stance of not playing the ICC T20 World Cup Group Stage clash against Pakistan, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) Vice-President Rajeev Shukla said that the board will go with whatever the International Cricket Council (ICC) decides.

Shukla said to ANI, "BCCI has nothing to say on this (on Shehbaz's statement). ICC has to decide on this, and whatever ICC says, we will go according to that decision..."

The Pakistan premier on Wednesday reiterated the country's decision to boycott its T20 World Cup match against India, saying the country has taken a "clear stand" for the February 15 match in Sri Lanka, reported Dawn.

"We have taken a clear stand regarding the T20 World Cup that we will not play the match against India," Pakistan PM said while addressing the federal cabinet in Islamabad. Sharif added that they have decided to boycott the India match after careful assessment and called for an appropriate decision."There should be no politics in sports," he said. "We have taken this stand after deliberating on it carefully," he said, calling it an "appropriate decision".

(With ANI inputs)

Topics mentioned in this article

India Cricket Team Pakistan Cricket Team Suryakumar Yadav T20 World Cup 2026 Cricket