India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 Boycott Controversy LIVE Updates: PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi To Take U-Turn? Report's Stunning Claim

While Pakistan are allowed to skip a match, they could face significant penalties, both on and off the cricket field, by doing so. Here's what the ICC rules say.

1. Net-run-rate loss: Not only will Pakistan get 0 points for the match, they will also suffer a significant NRR loss as it would be counted that they've played 20 overs but scored 0 runs.

2. Financial penalties: The ICC would be within their right to pass legal claims from broadcasters towards the PCB, as well as go as far as withholding their annual revenue share.

3. Government inteference law: The ICC Constitution (Article 2.4 D) requires member boards to manage their affairs autonomously, avoiding government interference. Pakistan's "selective participation" could be seen as a breach of the tournament's integrity and the ICC's constitution.

A sensational claim has been made in a report by PTI, that PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi could take a dramatic U-turn on his decision to support Bangladesh following the Bangladesh elections on February 12, should a different government come to power in the nation.

"Naqvi, more than a cricket administrator, is a politician, who is not one bit bothered about the welfare of the national team. He is trying to score a brownie point with his and could well flip once elections are held on February 12," said the report, via a Pakistan cricket source.

Former India captain Sunil Gavaskar also said that India have no reason to sweat regarding Pakistan's boycott of their T20 World Cup clash, as India will get two free points in the group stage.

"As far as India are concerned, they've got two points. They don't have to sweat about anything-not that they would sweat about Pakistan, given the way they have been beating them easily in recent times," Gavaskar told India Today.

Sunil Gavaskar also stated that Pakistan' decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India did not come as a surprise to him, considering they had even threatened to boycott the entire tournament after Bangladesh were replaced by the ICC.

"This is not a surprise. After the ICC decided not to accept Bangladesh's request to shift their matches, only two boards voted in favor: Bangladesh and the Pakistan Cricket Board. Pakistan also said at that point that they might not play the tournament. So, it was pretty clear that skipping the entire event would cost them heavily, but boycotting the match against India doesn't come as a surprise. There were hints they were looking to do something like this," Gavaskar told India Today.

Legendary India cricketer Sunil Gavaskar states that, much like the call to not shift Bangladesh's matches to a different venue, there will also be a unanimous decision by ICC member nations in the matter to sanction Pakistan for a boycott.

"When the ICC board met recently, the vote was 14:2 (regarding Bangladesh). It's going to be something similar, 14:2, when the ICC board meets again to decide on the sanctions against Pakistan," Gavaskar told India Today.

Former Pakistan spinner Danish Kaneria, the country's highest wicket-taking spinner in Tests, stated that Pakistan's potential boycott would only come across as them being "scared" to face India.

"There is no logic in boycotting this match. Pakistan seems to think that it is supporting Bangladesh, which has already been knocked out of the tournament. But they should focus on their own cricket and where they are taking it. This sends a message that people will feel Pakistan are scared of facing India, which is why they are refusing to play," Kaneria told IANS.

Former Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal has backed the government's decision to boycott the India fixture. He also called on the ICC to respect Pakistan's sovereignty instead of issuing threats of sanctions.

"How many times has Pakistan played in India, despite the heightened tensions between the two countries. I have gone myself. The ICC should have thought of these things three years back!" Kamran Akmal said on the YouTube channel 'Game Plan'.

"The PCB's decision should be respected just as we respected India's decision to play in hybrid model. Things had gotten to such extreme levels. At the Asia Cup, they refused to shake hands with our players, then refused to accept the trophy (from ACC chief Mohsin Naqvi. They had disrespected us!"

Harbhajan Singh slammed Pakistan's stance, calling their decision illogical. He warned that they should be ready for the consequences instead of looking for a convenient U-turn later.

"Begani shaadi mein Abdullah deewana," Harbhajan said. "Pakistan government has said that their team will participate in the T20 World Cup but will not play against India. There is absolutely no logic to this. This is the same Pakistan government and the same PCB that, after some time, will say that the dispute was actually Bangladesh's, the ICC imposed the ban, and we were ready to play and resolve the issue. This is nothing but a complete drama being created to mislead people," he said.

Harsha Bhogle couldn't have put it better. He suggested that while a boycott won't hurt giants like India, England, or Australia, it could have severe financial implications for Associate nations that rely on ICC revenue, including Pakistan themselves.

"If there was an inevitable reduction in the ICC's revenue caused by Pakistan's forfeit and future uncertainty, the least affected countries, given other strong sources of revenue, will be India, Australia and England," Bhogle wrote on X.

"The most affected will be those completely reliant on revenues from the ICC; not just the smaller and associate nations but also the West Indies, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and ...... Pakistan!" the post added.

Sunil Gavaskar did not mince his words when asked about the boycott controversy and he even took a cheeky jibe at the Pakistan cricketers.

"I think in the next four or five days, when reactions start pouring in from across the world and even from their former players, there is a possibility that Pakistan will change their stance. What's new in this? We all know Pakistan cricketers retire and then, four days later, take back their retirement, saying 'our fans told us to play more'. This might happen again."

With no official communication from the PCB, the situation has stagnated for now. The ICC has warned Pakistan against boycotting the match against India but without any official communication, everyone will have to wait to see what Pakistan will do on the day of the match. If they forfeit the match, India will receive full points and Pakistan can end up facing major sanctions from ICC and other cricket boards.

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