Former India spinner Ravichandran Ashwin has given his optimistic verdict on the India-Pakistan encounter in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Tensions between India
and Pakistan have spilled over into cricket once more, casting uncertainty over their high-stakes Group A encounter at the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 in Colombo.
Scheduled for February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium, the match now hangs in the balance after Pakistan's government explicitly barred its team from taking the field against India. This dramatic boycott, announced on February 1 via an official statement, allows Pakistan's participation in the tournament overall but forbids the blockbuster fixture amid frosty bilateral ties.
Pakistan announce India match Boycott
The decision stems from broader geopolitical friction, exacerbated by Bangladesh's recent exclusion from the event after refusing to play in India over security concerns. Pakistan, the lone vocal supporter of Bangladesh's venue change plea, accused the ICC of bias toward India. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi had hinted at government oversight on participation, and now the directive stands firm.
"The Government of Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026. However, the Pakistan cricket team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February, 2026 against India. "
India vs Pakistan certain to Happen: Ashwin
Ravichandran Ashwin, India's seasoned off-spinner and a vocal observer of the game's politics, expressed dismay at the potential forfeiture, but believes the match will be played without a shadow of doubt.
"100 percent, the match between India and Pakistan will happen. I feel that it will happen. The next 3-4 days will see these decisions being overturned. And that's my hunch and I hope I want to see the India-Pakistan encounter. Because there are a lot of business decisions in this. Pakistan has another problem. There may also be financial loss as you will have to reimburse the broadcasters whatever loss they have incurred. So I think they will have to come for a compromise. The financial thing involved in this will mean that other ICC member countries too will face a loss. In the ICC meeting, all these members will say because of Pakistan, we are getting these losses. PSL is also going to happen. Even in PSL, players can say that we will not come," Ashwin said on his channel.
Pakistan's squad has arrived in Colombo for other games, including against Netherlands, but the standoff persists despite outreach to other boards yielding no backing.
