BCCI Vice-President Rajeev Shukla said in this context, BCCI fully agrees with the stand taken by ICC on the ethics of sports by deciding to boycott the match against India in the group stage of Pakistan’s T20 World Cup 2026. The BCCI said it would not comment on the matter until discussions with the ICC. Rajeev Shukla said that the ICC has given the statement. That is all clear. They talked about cricket mentality. We also agree with ICC. However, the BCCI will not comment on the matter before speaking to the ICC.
BCCI vice-president and Congress MP Rajeev Shukla said, “ICC has made a big statement and they have spoken about sportsmanship. We completely agree with ICC. BCCI will not comment on this until we talk to ICC.”
Rajeev Shukla’s comments came at a time when Pakistan decided not to play against India in the ICC T20 World Cup group match on February 15. The Pakistan government posted on X (X) that the Pakistan team will not enter the field in the match against India.
The Pakistani government has said it has allowed the Pakistan cricket team to participate in the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, but not play the scheduled match against India. However, the government did not give any specific reason behind this decision.
The ICC also said they are awaiting formal communication from the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB). “ICC tournaments are built on sportsmanship, competition, consistency. Selective participation undermines the sanctity and credibility of this competition,” the ICC statement said.
As Bangladesh did not confirm participation within the stipulated time, ICC chose Scotland as an alternate team as per their established rules. Scotland are currently ranked 14th in the T20I rankings. Defending champions India are in Group ‘A’ with Namibia, Netherlands, USA and arch-rivals Pakistan. India will play their first match on February 7 against USA. The next match is on February 12.
