India To Follow ICC Protocol, Set To Travel Sri Lanka For Feb 15 T20 World Cup Clash: Report

Pakistan has provided their conditional approval to participate in the T20 World Cup 2026. The PCB stated they will be involved in the T20 competition. However, will not participate in the match against India on Feb 15. Pakistan's group includes their bitter rivals India, Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA.

Defending World Champion, India, opens the T20 World Cup 2026 on Feb 7 against the USA and plays Namibia on Feb 12. Pakistan's boycott of this match will not stop the Indian Team from proceeding with their plan of traveling to Sri Lanka per ICC policy, as well as all pre-match activities such as press conferences and practice at the SSC Colombo.

A BCCI source told ANI that,

“Team India will travel to Sri Lanka and follow ICC protocol. They will practice as per schedule, do a press conference, and reach the stadium according to time and wait for the match referee to call off the match.”

If Pakistan forfeits its game against India, under the ICC rules they will lose two points in the standings, and also negatively affect its Net Run Rate as per Clause 16.10.7. Also, the ICC is watching the situation closely and if Pakistan stays in its current posture, they could face sanctions by the ICC.

Under the existing media rights deal, Pakistan is getting a huge percentage of ICC revenues, but that could change. The ICC could also stop Pakistan players from taking part in overseas leagues such as the PSL and BBL. There are also reports that the T20 World Cup broadcaster could sue Pakistan for $38 million because all the matches played between IND and PAK are extremely lucrative for all formats of cricket.