Pakistan have confirmed that they will boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 group stage match against India, slated to be played on February 15 in Colombo.
After a long saga regarding their T20 World Cup participation, the Pakistan team is set to play the World Cup, but won't participate in the match against their arch-rivals.

"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," a statement on X from Government of Pakistan.
If Pakistan boycotts the group-stage match against India in the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026, scheduled for February 15 at Colombo's R. Premadasa Stadium, the outcome from a purely match-result and points perspective would be straightforward under ICC rules.
In Group A (Pakistan, India, Namibia, Netherlands, USA), where only the top two advance to the Super 8s, the impact is significant - India will gain an immediate advantage with 2 points without playing, strengthening their position in a competitive group and easing their qualification path.
Pakistan suffers a major setback, starting effectively 2 points behind in the standings. With only three other group matches (vs Netherlands on Feb 7, USA on Feb 10, Namibia on Feb 18), they would need strong wins in all remaining games.