Pakistan is all set to boycott the T20 World Cup group match against India, the Pakistan government announced on X on Sunday. While the Pakistan government has given permission to the team to travel to Sri Lanka, they said the side will not take the field against the arch-rivals.

India and Pakistan were once again placed in the same group by the ICC and they were all set to lock horns against each other on 15th February at Colombo.

Pakistan government post read as, “The Government of the 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 and Pakistan haven’t played against each other in a bilateral series in the last 14 years due to political tensions between the two countries. The relation took another huge dip after the Pehalgam terrorist attack in 2025.

Earlier, Bangladesh was removed from the tournament on January 24 following their refusal to play in India due to security concerns.

Pakistan are in Group A along with India, Namibia, Netherlands, and USA, and are playing all their matches in Sri Lanka, which is a co-host of the tournament along with India.

The ICC’s Playing Conditions dictate that Pakistan’s net run rate will also be hit by the forfeiture, but India’s will remain unaffected. Clause 16.10.7 states that in the event of a forfeit, “the net run rate of the defaulting team shall be affected in that the full 20 overs of the defaulting team’s innings in such forfeited match shall be taken into account in calculating the average runs per over of the defaulting team over the course of the relevant portion of the competition.”