Revealed- Will ICC replace Pakistan with another team and who will it be?

Jay Shah and the Pakistan Cricket Team [Source: X]

After Bangladesh’s ouster, the India versus Pakistan fiasco has taken a dramatic turn. After the Pakistan Cricket Board announced that they will not be taking the field for the February 15 T20 World Cup 2026 match against India, the cricketing world has gone into a frenzy.

Speculations over whether Pakistan could be boycotted from the entire tournament or face major penalties or sanctions from the International Cricket Council emerged.

There were also several speculations on whether Pakistan could be replaced by teams like Uganda, as they reportedly showed disinterest in playing the World Cup to show solidarity with Bangladesh.

Nevertheless, let’s take a look at what would actually happen if Pakistan avoids playing on February 15 after India reportedly decided to follow ICC protocol, and is set to travel to Colombo on February 15 and take the field unless the match referee officially calls off the match.

Pakistan set to get heavy penalty if they abandon India clash

Proving many rumours false, the Pakistan team will not be replaced by another team for a one-match boycott in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026. 

As per ICC rules, in circumstances where a match is awarded to one team as a result of the other team’s refusal to play, the decision is made either by the match referee in accordance with Playing Condition 16.2 or under the provisions of the relevant event agreements signed by the participating teams.

“The net run rate of the defaulting team will also be affected, and the full 20 overs of the defaulting team’s innings in such a forfeited match will be taken into account while calculating the average runs per over of the defaulting team over the relevant portion of the competition.

For the avoidance of doubt, the runs scored and overs bowled by the non-defaulting team in such a forfeited match will not be taken into account,” read the 2024 ICC rule.

India to be handed match points without playing

Hence, the moral of the story is that if Pakistan indeed forfeits the India game, India will receive two points and Pakistan will get none. As per the 2024 playing conditions of the tournament, Pakistan will also face a heavy net run-rate penalty on the points table.

Notably, India and Pakistan are both placed in Group A of the T20 World Cup 2026, alongside Namibia, the Netherlands, and the United States of America.

In this group, India will first play against the USA on February 7, followed by Namibia, with their last group-stage encounter scheduled against Pakistan.

What will be the semi-final scenario in T20 World Cup?

With that being the case, even if Pakistan suffers a heavy net run-rate penalty but defeats the remaining two teams in the group, both India and Pakistan could still qualify for the Super 8 stage, where net run rate will no longer matter.

However, it ultimately depends on how the Pakistan Cricket Board treats the proceedings, as another India-Pakistan meeting in the semi-finals in Sri Lanka could once again spark drama over whether Pakistan would play the match or risk being ousted from the tournament altogether.