The Pakistani government announced on Sunday evening that while their national team will participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, they will not be playing against India.
This boycott comes less than two weeks before the scheduled clash, and has stirred major controversy since then.
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) had earlier threatened of a complete boycott of the tournament, standing in solidarity with Bangladesh against their removal from the T20 World Cup over refusing to play in India.
However, their stance might change in the near future over the IND vs PAK clash, as suggested by a recent report.
Pakistan To Flip Over IND vs PAK T20 WC Boycott?
According to a PTI (news agency) source tracking Pakistan cricket, Mohsin Naqvi, PCB chief and the country’s Interior Minister, is only standing with Bangladesh for seemingly political gains and could flip on the decision after elections are held in Bangladesh.
“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 this and could well flip once elections are held on February 12.“
“There would still be two days before the India game and things could just change. Else he knows that Pakistan could be ostracised,” the source added.
Mohsin Naqvi Asia Cup Controversy
Notably, this is not the only India vs Pakistan controversy that Mohsin Naqvi is involved in. Back in 2025, India refused to accept the Asia Cup trophy from him (he is also the Asian Cricket Council chief) upon winning the final against Pakistan.
Ahead of the final, Naqvi had shared a video on X amplifying Pakistan’s unsubstantiated assertion that six Indian military aircraft had been shot down.
When Indian players refused to accept the trophy from him, he left the venue with the trophy, which, as of this writing, still hasn’t been handed over to the winning team.
