- PCB acts as main coordinator between ICC-BCB talks.
- Mohsin Naqvi attends hours-long meeting with BCB, ICC officials.
- BCB ICC to reconnect in afternoon to finalise next steps.
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif will make the final decision on whether Pakistan go ahead or maintains their boycott of the match against India at the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, sources told Geo News on Monday.
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, the sources added, is expected to meet PM Shehbaz today and brief the premier on his meeting with the International Cricket Council (ICC) delegation.
Pakistan has decided not to play against arch-rival India in solidarity with Bangladesh, who were kicked out of the tournament for citing security concerns and standing firm on their decision not to send their team to New Delhi.
A day earlier, the PCB and the ICC along with the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) held talks for more than five hours with Naqvi, BCB President Aminul Islam and ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khwaja in attendance.
During the meeting, the sources said, the ICC responded positively to Bangladesh’s demands, and a formula to address grievances with the BCB has been prepared. Both ICC and BCB exchanged proposals, while the PCB acted as the main coordinator during the discussions.
With ICC’s deputy chief Khwaja returning to the cricketing body’s headquarters for final approval of the proposals and BCB’s Islam heading back to Bangladesh to brief Dhaka, the sources said that the ICC has responded positively to Bangladesh’s demands, and a formula to address grievances with the BCB has been prepared.
Once the formula is agreed upon, ICC and BCB officials will reconnect in the afternoon today finalise the next steps, they added.
ICC-BCB saga
Tensions flared between the cricket boards of Bangladesh and India after Bangladesh’s star pacer Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the direction of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), sparking outrage in Dhaka.
Later, the BCB requested the ICC to shift its matches outside India, but the international cricket body rejected the plea.
Following the BCB’s firm stance, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the event.
The PCB, however, reacted strongly to the ICC’s decision and instead decided to boycott its India match over bias against Bangladesh.
Any clash between arch-rivals India and Pakistan is one of the most lucrative fixtures in cricket, worth millions of dollars in broadcast, sponsorship and advertising revenue.
In commercial terms, the overall value of a single India-Pakistan T20 match is estimated at around $500 million, or approximately INR45,000 crore, when broadcast rights, advertising premiums, sponsorship activations, ticket sales and downstream commercial activity are taken into account.
According to a report, advertising slots during an India-Pakistan T20 match command between INR25 lakh and INR40 lakh for a 10-second spot, significantly higher than even knockout matches involving India against other top teams.
The most immediate financial impact would be felt by the official broadcast rights holder, as advertising revenue from the India-Pakistan match alone is estimated at around INR300 crore, the Indian publication cited industry projections as suggesting.
