India Vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Boycott Row: PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi seeks more time for consultation; Will the arch rivals square off in Colombo?

India Vs Pakistan T20 World Cup Boycott Row: Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi has sought more time to consult with Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif amid Pakistan’s standoff over proposed boycott of its T20 World Cup match against India, ET Now has learnt from its sources.

Imran Khwaja, the deputy chair of the International Cricket Council, arrived in Lahore on Sunday, February 8, for crucial talks with PCB officials as efforts to end Pakistan's boycott of the high-stakes encounter against India gained momentum.

A representative of Singapore in the ICC, Khawaja, is an esteemed figure in the governing council and holds voting rights on the board as an associate member director.

Khwaja has been nominated by the ICC board as a mediator on the controversial subject, a source close to the PCB confirmed.

Additionally, Pakistan invited the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) to join the ICC meeting to seemingly demonstrate solidarity and present a united front amid the ongoing crisis surrounding the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026.

As per reports, PCB has invited BCB in the meeting to convey to them that though they have their full support, they would have to negotiate about the boycott with ICC because the implications of forfeiting a match against India in the ongoing T20 World Cup 2026 could be massive.

The matter stemmed in early January when Bangladesh refused to travel to India for the T20 World Cup 2026 due to security concerns, and subsequently requested ICC to shift their World Cup matches to Sri Lanka. The ICC did not comply with Bangladesh's demand as according to their assessment, there was no valid threat in playing cricket in India.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board remained obstinate over its stance and had the backing of the Pakistan Cricket Board. The impasse ended on a frustrating note for Bangladesh as they were excluded from the tournament, paving the way for Scotland to emerge as the replacement.

ICC's call did not please the Pakistan Cricket Board, which first expressed uncertainty over taking part in the competition and then conveyed to the ICC that they will take the advise of their government and follow its directive.

In the follow-up, the Pakistan Government announced that the team will play the T20 World Cup 2026 but will boycott the match against India, which is scheduled to take place on February 15.

The Pakistani government's decision enraged a lot of individuals in the cricket world, particularly from India's side, and now, with one week left in the match, it is still not certain whether the arch-rivals will square off in Colombo next Sunday or not. The ICC and PCB have been constantly exchanging messages since then. Let's see whether something favorable comes out of the dialogues or not.

India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match

Start date and times: The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match is scheduled to be played on Sunday, February 15 and the game will start at 7 PM local time and IST (1:30 PM GMT).

Venue for India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Group A match

The India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Group A fixture is scheduled to be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo, Sri Lanka.