Pakistan will play India at the T20 World Cup 2026 after days of brinkmanship, backchannel talks and political drama. But one thing is not changing. Unless there is an unlikely last-minute twist, there will be no handshakes between Indian and Pakistani players when the two teams meet in Colombo on February 15.
No handshake in IND vs PAK game
The no-handshake line between India and Pakistan didn’t begin at this World Cup. It goes back to the Asia Cup last year, when Indian players chose to walk off without post-match handshakes after beating Pakistan. At the time, it stood out, but it wasn’t a one-off. India and Pakistan played three games at that tournament and they didn’t shake hands at all. In fact, Team India rejected taking the Asia Cup trophy from ACC and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi as well.
The same approach was followed in subsequent meetings across tournaments, including the Women’s World Cup, the ACC Rising Stars event and the recent Under-19 World Cup, where there was again no physical interaction between the two teams. The Indian board’s position has remained unchanged throughout. Handshakes, they have maintained, are a matter of custom and not obligation, and players are not required under any rule to engage in them.
That stance has carried through every India–Pakistan fixture since and is set to continue in the upcoming T20 World Cup match as well.
Pakistan’s wish brushed aside by ICC
Shaking hands with India was one of the points raised by the Pakistan Cricket Board during its meeting with ICC officials in Lahore on Sunday. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi is learnt to have urged that handshakes between players and support staff should return as a “sporting gesture”. As per Revsportz, the ICC, however, has little appetite to intervene on that front.
The MCC’s Spirit of Cricket talks about respect, not rituals. Handshakes are a convention, not a rule. India, therefore, is well within its rights to continue its no-contact policy, a stance it adopted after the Pahalgam terror attack.
What Pakistan demanded from ICC during boycott talks
The handshake issue was only one part of a list of demands Pakistan put on the table when it threatened to boycott the India game. During the Lahore meeting, ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and Associate Members’ representative Mubashir Usmani were told that Pakistan wanted three things in return for turning up on February 15.
First, the PCB sought increased ICC funding. Pakistan currently receives around 5.75 percent of ICC revenues, a figure they believe does not reflect their contribution, especially when compared to India’s near-39 percent share. Second, Pakistan pushed for the revival of bilateral cricket with India, despite the fact that both boards have not played a bilateral series since 2012–13 due to political and security issues. It is something that Bangladesh also wants from ICC. Third demad was the revival of handshakes.
The ICC listened but did not concede. Officials made it clear that failure to honour fixtures could invite sanctions and fines under the Members Participation Agreement. At the same time, they assured the PCB that all demands would be placed before the ICC Board, without promising any favourable outcome.
After days of uncertainty, Pakistan are now set to lock horns with India as per the original schedule. The breakthrough came after the ICC engaged with full-member nations, including BCB, whose removal from the tournament had triggered Pakistan’s boycott threat in the first place. There will be no sanctions on Bangladesh for pulling out of the T20 World Cup. In return, Bangladesh will be given an opportunity to host an ICC event prior to the 2023 ODI World Cup.
