India will send team for February 15 game against Pakistan despite boycott by confirmation. Published On 5 Feb 20265 Feb 2026Click here to share on social mediashare2ShareIndia captain Suryakumar Yadav said his team would travel to Colombo as planned for their Twenty20 World Cup clash against archrivals Pakistan, despite Pakistan’s decision to boycott the match, citing geopolitical tensions.The Pakistani government directed its team to boycott the February 15 Group A contest to show solidarity with Bangladesh, who were replaced by Scotland following their refusal to tour India over safety concerns.Recommended Stories list of 3 itemsend of list“Our mindset is clear,” Suryakumar told reporters at the captains’ pre-tournament news conference in Mumbai on Thursday.“We have not refused to play – they have. We’ve booked our flight and we are going.”India, currently the top-ranked T20 team, are aiming to become the first side to defend the title, and also the first hosts to win the T20 World Cup.Pakistan’s boycott of the India match would leave them with little margin for error in their bid to reach the Super-8 stage, as only the top two teams from each group in the 20-team tournament advance.Group A also features Namibia, the Netherlands and the USA, who shocked Pakistan in the 2024 edition of the tournament.Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha said the decision to boycott the game against India was “not in our control”.“It’s a government decision, and we respect that,” Salman told reporters in Colombo.“Yeah, we lost to USA in the last World Cup, but that’s history now. It’s a new World Cup, it’s a new team, and it’s a new combination.“All three teams in our group, they are very good sides … So we are preparing for these games like we always do against any other team.” Advertisement Asked what would happen should India and Pakistan meet in a knockout game, Salman said they would follow government advice.Australia play down series defeat by PakistanAustralia captain Mitchell Marsh played down the significance of their 3-0 series loss in Pakistan heading into the tournament.“Look, Pakistan was Pakistan. We had a few guys missing and we come here with a long lead-in,” Marsh said. “We will be very well-prepared for our first game.”Australia will be without Pat Cummins through injury, while Josh Hazlewood is likely to miss the early games.Marsh expressed confidence in their bowling depth.“One of th …
