Pakistan boycott India match, but India to travel to Sri Lanka as per ICC protocol

Despite Pakistan’s decision to boycott their group-stage T20 World Cup clash against India on February 15, Team India will travel to Sri Lanka for the fixture and follow full ICC protocol, sources in the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) said.

According to sources, the Men in Blue will stick to the official schedule — attending practice sessions, holding the pre-match press conference and reaching Colombo’s SSC Cricket Ground on time — before waiting for the match referee’s decision. “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,” a source said.

Pakistan earlier announced it would not take the field against India. In a post on X, the Pakistan government said it had approved participation in the ICC World T20 2026 but clarified the team “shall not take the field” in the February 15 match. No reason was cited.

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India enter the tournament in strong form after a 4–1 T20I series win over New Zealand. Historically, India has dominated Pakistan in ICC T20 World Cups, leading the head-to-head record 7–1.

The tournament runs from February 7 to March 8 across India and Sri Lanka.