India to travel to Colombo for T20 World Cup match despite Pakistan boycott

The Pakistan government directed its team to boycott the 15 February Group A contest to show solidarity with Bangladesh

India will travel to Colombo for their T20 World Cup match against Pakistan despite the likelihood their rivals will boycott it (AFP via Getty Images)

India captain Suryakumar Yadav said his team would travel to Colombo as planned for their T20 World Cup clash against arch-rivals Pakistan, despite Pakistan's decision to boycott the match citing geopolitical tensions.

The Pakistan government directed its team to boycott the 15 February Group A contest to show solidarity with Bangladesh, who were replaced by Scotland following their refusal to tour India over safety concerns.

"Our mindset is clear," Suryakumar told reporters at the captains' pre-tournament press conference in Mumbai on Thursday.

"We have not refused to play - they have. We've booked our flight and we are going."

India, currently the top-ranked T20 team, are aiming to become the first side to defend the title, and also the first hosts to win the T20 World Cup.

Pakistan's boycott of the India match would leave them with little margin for error in their bid to reach the Super-8 stage, as only the top two teams from each group in the 20-team tournament advance.

Group A also features Namibia, the Netherlands, and the USA, who shocked Pakistan in the 2024 edition of the tournament.

Pakistan captain Salman Agha said the decision to boycott the game against India was "not in our control".

"It's a government decision, and we respect that," Salman told reporters in Colombo.

"Yeah, we lost to USA in the last World Cup, but that's history now. It's a new World Cup, it's a new team, and it's a new combination.

"All three teams in our group, they are very good sides... So we are preparing for these games like we always do against any other team."

Asked what would happen should India and Pakistan meet in a knockout game, Salman said they would follow government advice.