Pakistan made group stage exit from T20 World Cup 2024.
The decision by Pakistan to boycott India match in T20 World Cup 2026 could have serious consequences. During the ICC event, the Men in Green will not just lose points for not playing the IND vs PAK group-stage match, but will also take a big hit to their net run rate (NRR). The match was scheduled for February 15 in Colombo.
If the 2009 champions boycott India match, the hosts will get two points. On the other hand, Pakistan will not just lose two points, but it will also affect their NRR heavily in the multi-national tournament.
The ICC playing conditions in effect during the T20 World Cup 2024 state that if a team forfeits, it is treated as if that team has played a full 20 overs. Those overs count towards the team’s average runs per over for the entire tournament, which can significantly lower the NRR.
According to Clause 16.10.7 of the ICC Playing Conditions, “In case 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 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.”
This also means that the net run rate for the other team stays the same, and they will earn two points too. In this case, India are their opponent, so they will get two points, and their NRR will remain unchanged.
Pakistan are placed in Group A with India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA. All of their matches will take place in Sri Lanka, after the ICC, PCB, and BCCI signed an agreement to play IND-PAK games on neutral venues until 2031.
The boycott will not matter if both India and Pakistan beat the other three teams in the T20 World Cup 2026 group stages. But a washout or a slip-up against any of the other teams will dim their hopes of qualification for the Super 8 round, bringing NRR into play, putting them at a disadvantage because of the forfeit.
Notably, Pakistan faced a setback against the USA in the T20 World Cup 2024, losing the match in a super over, and made a group stage exit. Hence, they will have to be wary of such a result.
The Men in Green will start their T20 World Cup 2026 journey against the Netherlands on February 7, the tournament’s opening day. They will then play the USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.
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The Pakistan government decided to boycott the IND vs PAK match. The directive allows the cricket team to compete in the T20 World Cup 2026, but instructed them not to play against India. This decision comes after tensions arose following the removal of Bangladesh from the T20 World Cup 2026 over security concerns.
Despite multiple discussions and the independent company’s security review, the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) did not change their stance of not travelling to India, which led the ICC to replace Bangladesh with Scotland in the T20 World Cup 2026. Then, the PCB also accused the ICC of “double standards,” drawing comparisons with India’s plea for not travelling to the host country for the Champions Trophy 2025, which was ultimately played on a neutral venue.
ICC has warned the PCB of facing long-term implications for selective participation in the tournament. The governing body has also urged them to “explore a mutually acceptable resolution” which protects the interests of all stakeholders.
Earlier, the ICC had warned the PCB that if they withdraw from the T20 World Cup 2026, there could be consequences. These may include suspending the nation from bilateral cricket, refusing No Objection Certificates for overseas players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), leaving the country out of the Asia Cup, reducing ICC participation fees, and withholding their annual ICC revenue share for not following participation agreements. Additionally, Pakistan might lose the rights to host the Women’s T20 World Cup 2028.
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