List of Penalties to Be Imposed on Pakistan If They Boycott India’s Match at T20 World Cup

Boycotting the T20 World Cup match against India risks significant WTC points deduction for Pakistan, jeopardizing their standing in the tournament.

List of Penalties to Be Imposed on Pakistan If They Boycott India’s Match at T20 World Cup

Pakistan announced that it would boycott the fixture against India at the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup. (Image via NDTV Sports)

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The ICC is considering a range of severe penalties against Pakistan following their recent announcement to boycott their match against India at the 2026 T20 World Cup. These sanctions could halt all cricketing activity in Pakistan and lead to its unfortunate isolation.

Bringing an end to the fiasco, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced that it would not be playing against co-hosts India. The high-profile clash was scheduled to be played at the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in Sri Lanka, on February 15. While it was initially perceived that Pakistan might boycott the tournament completely in solidarity with Bangladesh, they have now confirmed they will only skip the game against their long-standing rivals.

The PCB decided against going ahead with the India-Pakistan game, following a meeting between the board’s chief Mohsin Naqvi and Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The decision has been seen by many as the PCB’s retaliation to the ICC’s continued favoritism towards the BCCI. In case the boycott is formally communicated to the global cricketing body, Pakistan might face severe sanctions.

The boycott might complicate the PCB’s existing agreement with the global cricketing body and the BCCI to play their matches in neutral venues. Back to the sanctions, it might begin with Pakistan’s outright expulsion from the 2026 T20 World Cup as a punitive measure, while being replaced by Uganda. A more severe penalty could be the PCB’s complete isolation from the global cricketing community, as the ICC might ban other teams from playing future bilateral series with Pakistan.

Broadcasters are also set to incur losses due to the cancellation of the India-Pakistan fixture, which is valued at around $20-22 million. The PCB might be forced to pay hefty compensation to broadcasters, including official partner JioStar. The biggest financial consequence among all, however, could be the ICC withholding Pakistan’s annual share of revenue from its pool, representing a loss of around $34.5 million.

The final nail in the coffin could be the ICC barring foreign players from participating in the PSL and denying any sort of international recognition for the league. All these potential outcomes are expected to be deliberated upon when ICC officials convene to discuss the situation.

India seals U-19 World Cup semi-final spot with win over Pakistan amid T20 World Cup uncertainty

While it is uncertain whether Pakistan will play India at the upcoming 2026 T20 World Cup, the under-19 sides of these two nations already faced each other in the U-19 World Cup. India U-19 sealed a spot in the semi-finals after defeating Pakistan U-19 by 58 runs in a thrilling contest.

India U-19 vs. Pakistan U-19
India defeated Pakistan to seal a semi-final berth at the ICC U-19 World Cup. (Image via News 18)

Opting to bowl first in Bulawayo, Pakistan U-19 restricted them to a meager first innings total of 252 runs. For the Boys in Blue, Vedant Trivedi was the only player to go past the 50-run mark, scoring a calm and composite 68 off 98 balls, while Vaibhav Sooryavanshi and Kanishk Chouhan provided valuable contributions. Abdul Subhan was the pick among the bowlers for Pakistan, as he finished with figures of 3/33.

For Pakistan to make it through to the semi-final, they required them to chase down the target in just 33.3 overs. Questions were raised as to why Pakistan U-19 did not go after the target from the very start, despite having only lost two wickets until the 29th over. The game soon turned India’s way, with the spin trio of captain Ayush Mhatre, Khilan Patel and Kanishk Chouhan bowling out their opponents for 194 runs.

Usman Khan had scored 66 runs off 92 balls for Pakistan, while captain Farhan Yousaf and Hamza Zahoor hit crucial knocks. Meanwhile, India finished the Super Six stage as one of the top-ranked sides, and will now take on Afghanistan in the semi-finals of the U-19 WC.

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