NEW DELHI: BCCI vice-president Rajeev Shukla on Tuesday welcomed the ICC's role in resolving the situation that led Pakistan to reverse its decision to boycott the T20 World Cup match against India. He said the governing body had arrived at a practical solution that helped move matters forward.
As a result, the much-anticipated India–Pakistan clash in the T20 World Cup will be played as scheduled on February 15 in Colombo, after the Pakistan government, following discussions with Bangladesh and Sri Lanka, decided to withdraw its boycott.
#WATCH | Delhi | On Pakistan to play against India at T20 cricket World Cup, BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla says, "I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by ICC representative, supervised by the ICC Chairman and the representatives who had gone to… pic.twitter.com/3x9xSDyGMB
— ANI (@ANI) February 10, 2026
"I would like to thank the ICC chairman (Jay Shah) and its office-bearers on behalf of the BCCI for finding a very good solution. After discussions with the Pakistan Cricket Board and the Bangladesh Cricket Board, and after listening to all sides, this decision has been taken," Shukla told reporters.
"This decision is very important for cricket. Cricket must go and the World Cup will now be a big success. This is a big achievement as far as ICC is concerned. Even the Bangladesh Cricket Board has praised the ICC, so it has listened to all sides and arrived at the decision after taking into consideration the interests of everyone.
"Ultimately cricket is most important for everyone, international cricket is important for everyone," the veteran administrator, who is also a Congress leader, added.
U-turn after U-turn: Every time PCB said 'no' to India - and then backed down
It became clear that Pakistan would drop the boycott after Bangladesh Cricket Board president Aminul Islam issued a statement in Dhaka urging the team to play in the interest of the game. Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif also received a call from Sri Lanka President Anura Kumara Dissanayake, who similarly appealed for Pakistan to allow its team to take the field.
The government statement came after Pakistan Cricket Board chief Mohsin Naqvi briefed Sharif about his dialogue with the ICC. The ICC made some concessions on the issue by deciding not to impose any penalty on Bangladesh, which was forced out of the World Cup after refusing to play in India citing security concerns.
The Pakistan government's decision to boycott the India game was in support of Bangladesh after the country was replaced by Scotland on the tournament roster.
