Will India suffer if they don't play against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026?

Pakistan have decided to boycott their clash against India in the T20 World Cup 2026.

The T20 World Cup 2026 has been hit by controversies even before its start. Last month, the Bangladesh Cricket Team refused to travel to India and were replaced by Scotland by the International Cricket Council (ICC).

Now a new controversy has become the topic of discussion, as Pakistan are considering boycotting their match against India in the group stage. Both Pakistan and India are placed in Group A and are scheduled to square off on February 15 at R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo.

PCB, who supported Bangladesh’s demand to relocate their matches, were unsatisfied with ICC’s action towards the Asian nation. Pakistan accused the ICC of applying double standards, as they had accepted a similar request from India during the ICC Champions Trophy last year.

Following a discussion with the Pakistan government, PCB has decided to skip their encounter against India in the T20 World Cup 2026 as a mark of protest. In response, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has clarified that the Indian Cricket Team will take the field as planned on February 15 in Colombo.

How will Pakistan’s boycott affect India in the T20 World Cup 2026?

Notably, the Suryakumar Yadav & Co. will not suffer if Pakistan opt to skip their clash against them in the group stage. In such a scenario, the Men-in-Blue will receive a walkover by the ICC and get two points without even playing the match.

Moreover, the move can affect Pakistan’s entry in the Super Eight Round. Only the top two teams from each group will qualify for the second round of the T20 World Cup 2026. Each team will face the other opponent of their group once and play four matches. Therefore, Salman Agha and Co. will have to win their remaining matches to advance to the next round.

Although the other three teams- Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA are weaker, it should be noted that Pakistan suffered a first-round exit in the previous edition in 2024. Their shocking defeat against the USA still haunts their cricket fans and is considered one of the biggest upsets in the history of the T20 World Cup.

Notably, teams have boycotted their matches for security reasons in ODI World Cups in the past, and they were made to forfeit their points. However, Pakistan does not have a proper reason to not play their match against the Suryakumar Yadav-led side in Colombo.

As a result, ICC might take stricter action against the Men-in-Green than just forfeiting their points. The governing body has already accepted Pakistan’s request to play all their matches in the 20-team tournament in Sri Lanka.

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