As the ICC T20 World Cup 2026 intensifies on the field, the political temperature surrounding India’s clash with Pakistan has escalated off it. The scheduled February 15 encounter in Colombo has drawn sharp criticism from Rajya Sabha MP and Shiv Sena (UBT) Deputy Leader Priyanka Chaturvedi, who has openly questioned the Board of Control for Cricket in India’s approach to the fixture.
Speaking to ANI on Wednesday in New Delhi, Chaturvedi took aim at what she described as the Indian board’s reluctance to take a definitive stand. She said, “First of all, whether it is Pakistan’s U-turn or not, my question is only to the BCCI. Why were we looking at the PCB and ICC, and whether a match should be held, regardless? As they said, that we will not play the match, shouldn’t we have said twice, that we do not want to play the match, with this terrorist country?”
India-Pakistan fixture under scrutiny
The development followed a series of discussions involving the Pakistan Cricket Board, the Bangladesh Cricket Board and the International Cricket Council, after which the Pakistan government directed its national team to participate in the February 15 fixture against India, the defending champions. Earlier indications had suggested a potential boycott in solidarity with Bangladesh, but those concerns were resolved following the consultations.
Bangladesh had been excluded from the tournament after the ICC declined its request to shift matches outside India over security concerns. Scotland subsequently replaced Bangladesh in the competition.
Amid this backdrop, Chaturvedi questioned why the BCCI appeared to await developments from external bodies rather than articulating its own position.
She added, “My question is: why is our BCCI, which is the most powerful, the richest, the strongest body, silent, and looking towards the PCB to decide whether the match will happen or not? You can say that we do not want a match with such people, who terrorise our country,” reiterating her criticism of the board’s silence.
Tournament schedule moves ahead
Despite the political undercurrents, India’s campaign continues as scheduled. The Men in Blue are currently in Delhi, where they face Namibia on February 12. The highly anticipated clash against Pakistan follows in Colombo on February 15, before India travel to Ahmedabad for their final group-stage fixture against the Netherlands on February 18.
India’s T20 World Cup 2026 squad includes Suryakumar Yadav as captain, alongside Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar and Rinku Singh.
While preparations on the field remain firmly in focus, Chaturvedi’s remarks have added a fresh political dimension to one of cricket’s most closely watched rivalries.
