Everything has a price in this world. It looks like Pakistan’s adamant stance of not playing India at the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 has a price too! Well, apparently, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has put forward a few demands before the International Cricket Council (ICC) during the meeting in Lahore on Sunday.
What did Pakistan ask from ICC in return?
Pakistan are playing their cards right. They know that the India vs Pakistan match is the biggest cash cow for all the parties involved, and now boycotting the game puts the ball right in their corner. Now, Pakistan has demanded a few things from the ICC. If ICC allows, Pakistan will take a U-turn from their boycott stance.
First of all, the Pakistan cricketing body wants extra funds from the ICC. As of now, they receive 5.75 per cent of the revenue from the ICC. In comparison, the BCCI takes home almost 39 per cent. But Indian cricket generates enough revenue for the ICC in return as well.
Meanwhile, Pakistan has also demanded the revival of cricketing ties with India. It comes as a surprising point since the two countries have been at loggerheads in the recent past. As everyone would know, India have not competed in a bilateral series with Pakistan since 2012/2013. Since this tour, bilateral cricketing ties have been suspended due to political tensions and security concerns. The two teams now only face each other in multinational tournaments.
Thirdly, the Pakistan team wants India to shake their hands after the ICC T20 World Cup match. Well, this is because the Indian team avoided all physical contact with every Pakistani player at the Asia Cup 2025. Three matches occurred, but all without handshakes. The trend even continued at the ICC Women’s World Cup, ACC Rising Stars and as recently as the ICC Under-19 World Cup when Ayush Mhatre avoided the Pakistani captain.
On February 1, the government of Pakistan announced the decision to boycott India at the T20 World Cup. The move was made after the ICC had removed Bangladesh from the tournament after they refused to travel to India.
T20 WC boycott: What happened in Lahore meeting
As per Telecom Asia Sport, a lot happened without any perfect conclusion in Lahore on Sunday. ICC Deputy Chairman Imran Khawaja and ICC Associate Members’’ representative Mubashir Usmani were hosted by PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi and Salman Naseer (PSL head).
The ICC warned Pakistan of sanctions if they continue to boycott the much-awaited India vs Pakistan game on February 15 in Colombo. The ICC made it clear that if Pakistan refuses to play scheduled matches, it could face sanctions and financial fines. Under ICC rules, all member boards must play every match in ICC tournaments.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has also demanded financial compensation and wants to host a future ICC event, possibly the Under-19 World Cup in 2028. Fascinatingly, no assurances were given that the demands would be accepted. ICC officials told PCB that these demands would be placed before the ICC Board at the next meeting.
Mohsin Naqvi told the ICC delegation that the matter would be taken to Shehbaz Sharif. The Pakistan Prime Minister is expected to make the final call, possibly by Monday.
The Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) board was pretty upset with the PCB too. They’ve got a lot at stake financially if the India vs Pakistan match gets scrapped, so they put pressure on the PCB. SLC’s president, Shammi Silva, even reached out directly to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi. Looks like it paid off, because the PCB’s now open to talks. Guess they have a lot to lose if the match doesn’t happen, just like SLC.
