The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) vice-president Rajeev Shukla finally responded on Tuesday to Pakistan’s U-turn of agreeing to play arch-rival India in the T20 World Cup 2026 on February 15 at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. On Monday night, the Government of Pakistan reversed its decision, announcing that the team would now ‘take the field’. The decision followed the ICC’s confirmation that no sanctions would be imposed on the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for not travelling to India to participate in the 20-team competition.
On Sunday, the two-member ICC delegation met PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and BCB head Aminul Islam at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore, and it was then that some demands were put to the apex body. Once the ICC confirmed that Bangladesh wouldn’t be sanctioned and would be given hosting rights for one ICC event before 2031, the Pakistan government made the decision official.
On Tuesday morning, Shukla, the BCCI vice-president, who until now had only said that the board would agree with whatever the ICC decides, addressed a large number of reporters, thanking the ICC for its leadership and for finding an amicable solution.
“I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by the ICC representative, supervised by the ICC Chairman and the representatives who had gone to Lahore to talk to the Pakistan Cricket Board as well as the Bangladesh Cricket Board. It’s a good, amicable solution that has been found to prioritise cricket’s importance,” Shukla told reporters on Tuesday.
“This is what has been done. So, all kudos to ICC for taking this initiative, resolving the issue, and bringing cricket back to the forefront. This is a major achievement for ICC. So I would like to thank ICC for taking this initiative and bringing Pakistan to the table, ultimately deciding for Pakistan to play in the Colombo match,” he added.
‘World Cup will be success story’
Shukla also stated that since the decks are now clear for the India versus Pakistan contest, the T20 World Cup 2026 will emerge as a success story. The tournament began on February 7, with the opener between Pakistan and the Netherlands; however, the entire tournament was overshadowed by the standoff between the PCB and ICC.
“It’s good news for all of us, and the scheduled match for February 15 in Colombo will take place. Pakistan will also play. So now this World Cup will also be a big success story. Bangladesh’s feelings have also been assaged as far as these negotiations are concerned, and some relief has been given to their board, and they are also happy,” said Shukla.
“In fact, they have praised ICC for its efforts. It’s a win-win situation for everybody, and I’m happy that the match will take place and the World Cup will be a successful event,” he added.
Pakistan initially boycotted the India game in solidarity with Bangladesh after Bangladesh was replaced by Scotland in Group C for the T20 World Cup. Earlier, Bangladesh sought to have its matches shifted to Sri Lanka, citing security concerns, but the real issue stemmed from pacer Mustafizur Rahman being removed from the IPL due to strained relations between India and Bangladesh.
