The T20 World Cup 2026 has had a terrific start, with thrilling matches, but it has also seen its fair share of controversies. From Bangladesh pulling out of the tournament to Pakistan boycotting their match against India, we have seen it all. The boycott saga does not seem to end, though, as Pakistan has kept some demands in front of the ICC if they want their match to go ahead. 

Pakistan is free to play the World Cup and they can boycott a game as they please but they will have to do so, following the rules. 

Under Clause 16.10.9, the rules say:

“In circumstances where a match (and the points for such match) is awarded to a team as a result of the other team’s refusal to play, either by the match referee in accordance with playing condition 16.2 or in accordance with the provisions of the relevant event agreements signed by the participating teams, the net run rate of the defaulting team shall be affected in that the full 20 overs of the defaulting team’s innings in such forfeited match shall be taken into account in calculating the average runs per over of the defaulting team over the course of the relevant portion of the competition.

The ICC cannot force Pakistan to play, and they can only threaten them with sanctions and levy huge penalties if the boycott does go ahead. Pakistan though can argue that the ICC has allowed partial boycotts before without any penalties. In the 1996 World Cup, West Indies and Australia refused to travel to Sri Lanka, while in the 2003 World Cup, England and New Zealand refused to travel to Zimbabwe and Kenya, respectively. 

The boycott won’t affect India so much, as they will get their two points provided they travel to Sri Lanka and complete the formalities. There are some other rules as well stated below. 

Under Article 2.4 of the ICC constitution, it outlines that boards must manage their affairs autonomously and ensure that there is no government interference in its governance, regulation and/or administration of cricket.

The biggest hit, if the biggest game of the tournament does not take place, will come from media rights, which form the main chunk of the revenue for the ICC.

The ICC sells media rights for all the games, of which India-Pakistan is the biggest and most valued. If the match doesn’t take place, the sponsors will not pay for the rights of that match, and the ICC will incur losses.