The India vs Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup 2026 is set to take place as Pakistan have withdrawn their boycott of the match on Monday (February 9).
The government of Pakistan has confirmed the withdrawal of their stance as the match is now back on in its scheduled date on February 15 in Colombo.
Pakistan withdraw Boycott
The Pakistan government announced their revoke on the boycott on Monday in a social media post. The decision has come after a tripartite meeting among ICC, Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Lahore.
The ICC officials were in long dialogues with the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who met with the Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sherif to decide on the matter. In the evening, he said the decision will be taken in the next 24 hours, and now the match is confirmed.
The Pakisan government wrote on X that "in view of the outcomes achieved as well as the request of friendly countries", they have sanctioned the India vs Pakistan match to go on.
How did ICC convince Pakistan to withdraw boycott?
ICC and its officials worked hard to resolve the impasse, which put the proceedings in crossroads. Although Pakistan's demands were listened, ICC never committed to any of them.
The 'Force Majeure' of PCB was turned down as ICC cited no grounds of Pakistan to apply that card. Following that, the officials listened to PCB and BCB demands and they promised to soften their stance on Bangladesh.
"In that prevailing spirit, it was agreed that all members will respect their commitments as per the terms of participation for ICC events and do all that is necessary to ensure that the ongoing edition of the ICC Men's T20 World Cup is a success," a statement from ICC read.
"With respect to Bangladesh, the ICC reiterated its continued facilitation of growth in one of cricket's most vibrant markets, with more than 200 million passionate fans to ensure that the national team's non-participation in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 does not have any long-term effects on cricket in the country," it added.
The stance on Bangladesh and the realisation of a monumental financial loss finally caught up to the PCB chairman, who understood the ramifications of the flagship encounter's null and void outcome.
Bangladesh urged PCB to withdraw Boycott
Earlier, BCB president Aminul Islam urged the PCB to play the match against India. Pakistan's root cause for boycott came after Bangladesh was removed from the T20 World Cup following their stance of non-compliance with ICC regarding playing in India.
"Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem," Islam said.
Both PCB and BCB also made a few demands to ICC, which involve a tri-nation series involving India. Although ICC shrugged off those demands citing their non-intervention in BCCI matters, the apex body has gone lenient on Bangladesh. Despite the withdrawal from the T20 World Cup, Bangladesh has been spared from sanctions and they are also in line to host an ICC tournament in near future.
