Jay Shah Mohsin Naqvi Aminul Islam. Image Credits: X
After Bangladesh was ousted from the T20 World Cup 2026, Pakistan stepped in to show solidarity with their move to boycott the group stage India match on February 15. However, as per recent developments, the movement is now apparently backfiring on Pakistan itself.
After a week of turmoil in legal lawsuit threats, stance fiasco and still an unclear and hazy future on one of the most-anticipated games of cricket, the Pakistan Cricket Board is seemingly looking like a fool. The Bangladesh Cricket Board’s recent statement shared that they would not like Pakistan to boycott the India match.
The financial impact of IND vs PAK match abandonment
The India vs Pakistan clash is one of the biggest cricketing events, simply because of the scale of rivalry the two teams hold. This means a mega viewership and almost USD 250 million at stake. If the match takes place, it gives a huge financial boost to the apex cricket body and to those who are part of it as shareholders.
If the February 15 match is abandoned, the huge loss will reflect on all of the cricket boards, including the broadcasting partners. A BCB official reportedly commented on this potential loss and stated that they would not like PCB to boycott the mammoth clash.
Bangladesh want Pakistan to play February 15 match against India
The senior BCB director, speaking to Bangladeshi publication Prothom Alo on condition of anonymity, implied the big loss the cricketing world will suffer.
"If the India-Pakistan match does not take place, the entire cricketing world will face financial losses. Even our dividend will decrease. We did not want such losses," the BCB official said.
Even though Pakistan’s move was appreciated by the BCB official, he was inclined on a reverse stance on the boycott despite it being a solid cause to sabotage the ICC event.
"Pakistan wanted to send a strong message to Indian cricket. They wanted to challenge India's dominance. From that perspective, the decision may make sense," the official said.
Another official closely involved in the events leading up to Bangladesh's exclusion shared the same concerns, where he thought of the greater good of Bangladesh, citing ICC’s downfall would bring everyone down with it.
"This will directly affect the ICC's central revenue pool. Like everyone else, we are also stakeholders in that fund. Take Kenya or Uganda, for example. They would be satisfied with USD 100,000-200,000. But given our infrastructure, how will we survive if ICC revenues decline?" the BCB director said.
Pakistan's show of solidarity for Bangladesh is now a joke
Notably, Pakistan was the only country to support Bangladesh during the meeting in which the BCB sought to shift all their T20 World Cup 2026 matches to Sri Lanka, boycotting Indian venues while citing security concerns.
Pakistan, which was already scheduled to play all its World Cup matches in Sri Lanka, supported Bangladesh’s demand. However, being in the minority during the voting process, the ICC decided to oust Bangladesh from the competition due to the massive logistical changes required to move all of Bangladesh’s matches to Sri Lanka.
Nevertheless, as BCB failed to convince the ICC, Pakistan is now attempting to register its protest by boycotting India. This move has also drawn criticism, as Bangladesh themselves are reportedly no longer in favour of an India boycott.
