Former India cricketer Ajinkya Rahane feels the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) lacks the courage to boycott the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20. Pakistan has delayed confirming its participation in the tournament, with PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi saying the final decision will be taken by the country’s government.
Naqvi recently met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and revealed that the final call for their participation will be taken on either January 30th or February 2nd. Amidst all the off-field drama, Ajinkya Rahane made a strong statement, claiming that Pakistan lacks the guts to boycott the tournament.
“I don’t think they can do it. I don’t think they have, dare I say, guts? Yeah, I don’t think they can. They will come,” Rahane said on Cricbuzz.
Meanwhile, despite all the talk of Pakistan supporting Bangladesh and their stance on boycotting the 2026 T20 World Cup, which is co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka, there have been reports suggesting that Pakistan has already been advised not to go that route. It is further assumed that they have already booked flights to Colombo.
Where will Pakistan play their matches?
Pakistan is set to play all its matches at two venues in Sri Lanka – Colombo and Pallekele – following an agreement with the ICC and BCCI in December 2024, in which the two councils agreed not to play in their respective countries during ICC events.
The itinerary further suggests that Pakistan are unlikely to follow the same path as Bangladesh before the tournament. According to a report by Telecom Asia Sport, the Salman Ali Agha-led team is set to fly to Colombo alongside the Australian team.
Pakistan have been placed in Group A of the 2026 FIFA World Cup T20 alongside the USA, India, Namibia and the Netherlands. They will take on arch-rivals India in a much-anticipated clash on February 15 in Colombo.
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Issued by:
Rishabh Beniwal
Published on:
January 29, 2026