Decks cleared for India-Pakistan game on February 15

The much-anticipated India-Pakistan clash at the T20 World Cup 2026 is set to go ahead as per original schedule on February 15 in Colombo, following developments post Sunday’s tripartite meeting involving the International Cricket Council, Pakistan Cricket Board and the Bangladesh Cricket Board in Lahore.

Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has cleared his team’s participation in the big Colombo game. As reported earlier in the day, PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi was to meet Sharif over the matter and the latest is that the Prime Minister has given the go-ahead for the team to play the February 15 game.

“Following the ICC press release, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has directed the Pakistani cricket team to play the match against India on February 15,” PCB spokesperson Amir Mir said in a statement that was also shared on social media. However, Pakistan, who threatened to boycott the game on advice from the government, have not had any major gains from the marathon tripartite meeting.

Simultaneously, it is also learnt that Sharif spoke to Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, informing him of the decision to play the game. Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC), it may be recalled, had pleaded with the PCB not to boycott the India game.

SLC had written to the PCB stating that the island nation could incur heavy financial losses in case of a boycott. It also reminded the PCB of the times of Pakistan’s international isolation due to security concerns and how SLC stood by them on the cricket field.

No sanctions on BCB; Bangladesh get to host an ICC event before 2031

Meanwhile, the ICC has agreed to take a lenient view of Bangladesh, despite their refusal to play in India and had to be replaced in the marquee tournament with Scotland. The ICC also said it would not impose any sanctions on the BCB which, in turn, had appealed to Pakistan to honour the February 15 engagement with India.

“Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem,” Aminul Islam, the BCB president said, opening the door for the return of Pakistan, who threatened to boycott the India game in solidarity with Bangladesh.

The ICC also confirmed that there will be no financial, sporting or administrative penalty on Bangladesh Cricket Board in relation to the current matter. The BCB has also been told that it is well within its right to seek redressal at the Disputes Resolution Committee (DRC) if it intends to.

“It is acknowledged that BCB retains the right to approach the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC), should it choose to do so. This right exists under current ICC regulations and remains intact,” the ICC said. “The ICC’s approach is guided by its principles of neutrality and fairness and reflects the shared objective of facilitative support rather than punishment.”