T20 World Cup 2026: Will Pakistan's boycott of India match lead to $34.5 million ICC penalty?

Pakistan's decision on Sunday to take part in all matches of the T20 World Cup 2026, except the one against India, may have major financial implications.

This is because a last-minute withdrawal by Pakistan could constitute a breach of the International Cricket Council's (ICC) participation agreement. How Islamabad's decision will be perceived depends on the global cricket body's response, which is expected soon.

“As a direct consequence, PCB’s share of ICC annual revenue [estimated at around $34.5 million], would be withheld,” a Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official told Hindustan Times.

This share forms a part of the ICC’s $3.2 billion media rights deal for 2024–27, of which more than 85 per cent is derived from the Indian market. Notably, for most cricket-playing nations apart from India, England, and Australia, this is one of their main sources of income.

The Sunday decision was announced by the Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistan government, which has granted permission to its cricket team to travel to Sri Lanka for the tournament.

However, it did not offer a reason for the boycott of the February 15 match against India.

The official added that the Pakistan team's boycott, based on orders from their government despite the matches presenting no direct harm, would likely be seen by the ICC as an attempt to bring politics into the sport. 

This could possibly even "alienate PCB within the ICC Board, disrupting Pakistan's bilateral calendar with other teams, and affecting foreign player participation in the Pakistan Super League”, the official added.

“This is not Pakistan’s battle to fight. Why should any government have a problem with a decision not concerning their national side and face consequences?” the official questioned.

Other reports claim that the financial fallout faced by Pakistan could be as much as $38 million, though THE WEEK could not verify this particular figure.

The uncertainty around Pakistan's participation in the T20 World Cup this year came after it decided to show solidarity with Bangladesh. The ICC had replaced the Dhaka team with Scotland in the tournament due to their refusal to play matches in India over political tensions. 

However, the ICC had already decided beforehand that all of Pakistan's matches should be played in neutral Sri Lanka, due to political tensions between the two nations.