Pakistan Boycott of T20 WC vs India Sparks Political Reactions

Political leaders across India sharply criticised Pakistan for boycotting its T20 World Cup match against India on February 15 in Colombo. The tournament will take place in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8. Pakistan will play other matches but skip the clash with India. The Pakistan government confirmed the boycott after a meeting between Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and PCB chief Mohsin Naqvi. Meanwhile, Pakistan had repeatedly threatened to withdraw, alleging Bangladesh was treated unfairly after it was dropped from the 20-team tournament.

The International Cricket Council (ICC) condemned selective participation. It stated that such actions violate the “fundamental premise of a global sporting event.” BCCI vice president and Congress MP Rajeev Shukla supported the ICC. He said BCCI will comment only after consulting the council.

Congress Criticises Politicisation of Cricket

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor called Pakistan’s boycott “pretty disgraceful.” He said politics is taking over cricket. He criticised the denial of Bangladeshi player Mustafizur Rahman’s contract to play in Kolkata. According to him, this shows how political interference harms sport. Tharoor urged all parties to discuss the matter urgently through the ICC. He stressed that cricket should unite people, not divide them.

Other Congress leaders shared similar views. MP Udit Raj criticised India’s diplomacy. He said Pakistan is openly refusing to play despite being a smaller country. MP Ujjwal Raman Singh added that India should have acted firmly after the Pahalgam attack. Furthermore, he called on the ICC to punish Pakistan for such actions.

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Opposition and BJP Leaders Respond

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Priyanka Chaturvedi called the boycott a “slap on India.” She criticised India for not taking a stronger stance. TMC MP Kirti Azad claimed Pakistan avoided the match out of fear of losing. Similarly, BJP MPs Bhola Singh and Sanjay Jaiswal said Pakistan’s approach is adversarial. They expressed confidence that India will benefit as the host nation.

As a result, the boycott sparked a heated debate in India. It raised questions about politics in sport, cricket diplomacy, and the ICC’s role in enforcing fair participation.

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