High voltage drama continues ahead of T20 World Cup 2026. After Bangladesh Cricket Board, now Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has crossed the limits of shamelessness. It has announced a boycott of the group match against India on 15 February. However, the political fight which Pakistan had started by boycotting this match, now seems to be becoming a problem for its so-called ally Bangladesh itself. This decision is not only likely to cause financial loss to the ICC and PCB, but has also given rise to dissatisfaction within the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB).
India-Pakistan match: Cricket’s biggest earning
The T20 match between India and Pakistan is counted among the most profitable cricket matches in the world. The match is estimated to be worth approximately $500 million, including broadcast rights, advertising, sponsorship, tickets and other commercial activities. The bulk of this income goes to the ICC, which is then distributed among all the member boards. In such a situation, it is considered the economic engine not only of India or Pakistan, but of the entire cricket world. However, now that PCB has thought of boycotting this match, ICC can compensate the loss by paying from the funds received by PCB.
Why did Bangladesh get angry?
Interestingly, Pakistan boycotted the match against India in support of Bangladesh after Bangladesh refused to play in India and were eliminated from the tournament to include Scotland. But now a section of BCB is not happy with this decision. Speaking to Bangladeshi newspaper Pratham Aalo, a senior director of the Bangladesh Cricket Board said, ‘If the India-Pakistan match does not take place, the entire cricket world will suffer financial loss. Our dividend will also decrease. We did not want such a loss.
Concern about decreasing ICC revenue
Another BCB official clearly expressed concern over the decline in ICC’s earnings. He said, ‘This will have a direct impact on the ICC’s central revenue pool. We are also shareholders of that fund. Small countries may be satisfied with one or two lakh dollars, but
How will we survive with our infrastructure?
What was the objective of Pakistan?
According to BCB officials, Pakistan’s objective was clear, to send a strong message against India and challenge the dominance of Indian cricket. An official admitted, ‘From that point of view this decision may be understandable for Pakistan.’ But the question is, is it right to put the rest of the cricket world at a loss for this political message?
