Unlike what Indian cricket fans may have assumed, the International Cricket Council (ICC) doesn’t seem to have plans to penalize Pakistan, not yet. Instead, it is still trying to convince the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB_ to play against India in the T20 World Cup 2026.
Imran Khwaja, deputy chair of the ICC, has been tasked with holding back-channel talks to persuade the PCB, according to RevSportz. Khwaja represents the Singapore Cricket Association. The IND vs PAK group match is scheduled on 15 February in Colombo.
While the PCB has not officially informed the ICC of anything, the statement comes from the Government of Pakistan.
“The Government of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan grants approval to the Pakistan Cricket Team to participate in the ICC World T20 2026, however, the Pakistan Cricket Team shall not take the field in the match scheduled on 15th February against India,” it posted on Twitter (now X).
Who is Imran Khwaja?
Imran Khwaja, a well-known cricket administrator, is a senior lawyer from Singapore. He has been serving as the ICC Deputy Chairman since 2017. He was reappointed for a fresh term in December 2024, alongside Jay Shah’s tenure as ICC Chairman.
Khwaja made history in 2020 when he became the ICC’s Interim Chairman after Shashank Manohar had stepped down. He was the first person from an Associate nation to lead world cricket.
Khwaja has also played a key role in Singapore cricket. Khwaja represented Singapore as a player between 1975 and 1994. He is a former president of the Singapore Cricket Association.
Imran Khwaja is a certified mediator with the Singapore International Mediation Center (SIMC). He has built a strong reputation as a legal mediator through his work on several high-value and sensitive cases in Singapore.
He has handled complex divorce and family disputes involving large asset pools, including cases worth as high as S$62.7 million ( ₹446 crore).
Beyond family law, Khwaja has represented major firms in defamation cases and has acted for the Malaysian government in recovering funds linked to the 1MDB scandal.
Pakistan boycotts India game: A timeline
It all started when, on 3 January, the BCCI asked Kolkata Knight Riders to release Bangladesh player Mustafizur Rahman. Amid worsening India–Bangladesh relations, Shah Rukh Khan’s IPL team bought veteran pacer for ₹9.20 crore at the IPL 2026 auction.
Three days later, Bangladesh banned IPL broadcasts and raised security concerns about playing in India. On 12 January, the Bangladesh Cricket Board formally requested the ICC to shift its World Cup matches to Sri Lanka under a hybrid model.
Pakistan supported the venue change. But, the ICC rejected this plan on 21 January by a 14–2 vote.
Bangladesh then refused to travel to India, leading the ICC to replace it with Scotland on 24 January. Pakistan’s stance remained unclear, with speculation that it might withdraw from the tournament.
On 1 February, the Pakistan government approved participation but barred the team from playing India. On 3 February, the ICC warned Pakistan of serious sanctions.
IND vs PAK: ₹4,500 crore at stake
The cancellation of the India vs Pakistan match at the 2026 T20 World Cup is expected to result in significant commercial losses. The financial loss to the ICC is estimated at $500 million (over ₹4,500 crore), according to the Financial Express.
Broadcaster JioHotstar is likely to lose ₹200–250 crore in direct advertising revenue. According to the publication, a 10-second slot is sold for ₹20–25 lakh for an IND vs PAK cricket match.
With 60-second gaps between overs, ads run for at least 36 minutes during the match. At ₹25 lakh per slot, broadcasters earn ₹54 crore just from ads between overs. Then, there are strategic time-outs, pre-match, mid-innings, post-match, on-screen sponsorships and digital streaming inventory.
Except for live advertisement slots, broadcasters are likely to lose ₹300 crore in associated sponsorships and pre-sold ad inventory, according to the publication.
If Pakistan don’t play the India match, broadcasters may sue the PCB for breach of contract and seek a refund of around. ₹300 crores.
According to the publication, the ICC may block the PCB’s share of $34.5 million ( ₹311 crore) from its annual revenue share.
Sri Lanka may lose up to ₹27.5 crore from ticketing itself. In addition, if refunds and tourism drop happen at scale, the local economy may lose at least. ₹92 crores.
