India vs Pakistan: From forfeiture to participation, how it all panned out?
After two weeks of back and forth, late into Monday night Pakistan government put an end to the speculations, confirming their cricket team’s participation in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India. The two teams are scheduled to play on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in the Group A clash.
From Scotland being replaced by Bangladesh to Pakistan considering boycotting the India match to having a change of heart a week later, a lot has happened in the last 15 days. For now, however, the issue is put to rest with both teams set to take the field in Colombo on Sunday. Here is a low down on the timeline of how it all panned out…
Jan 24, 2026: The International Cricket Council replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in Group C after their request to shift matches out of India was denied. They wanted to play in Sri Lanka, citing security reasons following the removal of Mustafizur Rahman from the Kolkata Knight Riders Squad at the directive of the BCCI.Jan 26, 2026: The PCB chief clarifies that the final call will be taken by the Prime Minister in the days to follow after a meeting with PM Shehbaz Sharif. “Had a productive meeting with the Prime Minister Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif. Briefed him on the ICC matter, and he directed that we resolve it while keeping all options on the table. It was agreed that the final decision will be taken either on Friday or next Monday,” Naqvi posted on X.Debates continue as to whether PCB could go ahead with it and what are the effects it may have not just for them but the rest of the countries, especially with the marquee clash being a major reason behind the massive sum the broadcasters had paid for the rights. Amidst the earlier misgivings between JioHotstar and ICC over media rights for these events, the former felt that the existing rights deal was inflated. Without this game, they would definitely feel that way and may even demand the ICC to return some of the money they received from the broadcaster. Feb 3, 2026: Reports of backchannel talks begin with ICC deputy chair Imran Khwaja taking the lead to convince Pakistan into reconsidering.
Feb 5, 2026: Sri Lanka Cricket writes a letter to the PCB reminding of the past instances where they stood with Pakistan and inform them of the impact the forfeiture would have. “Yes, we have written a letter to the PCB,” Bandula Dissanayake, secretary SLC, told this daily. Speaking on the content of the letter, Dissanayake said, “We tried to highlight things we have done for Pakistan cricket in their difficult times in the past.