Pakistan cricket board could potentially face lawsuits from broadcasters of the T20 World Cup 2026 if they boycott the IND vs PAK match, as per reports. The PCB has decided to boycott the high-octane clash, although it hasn’t been officially communicated to the ICC. Should they skip the game, not only will Pakistan face financial penalties but could also get into other problems as well.
Pakistan under pressure to play against India in T20 WC
As per news agency PTI, a PCB source has claimed that Pakistan could face lawsuits from the broadcasters if it decides to boycott the IND vs PAK clash, which is scheduled to be held on February 15 in Colombo. The source claimed that apart from financial penalties and the lawsuit, the board’s efforts to go to the ICC’s Dispute Resolution Committee will also go down the drain. The source pointed out that the broadcasters will be very well within their rights to drag Pakistan to court as they have signed a 4-year deal with the ICC which includes IND vs PAK matches as well.
“If Pakistan doesn’t relent and play against India, not only will they face financial penalties, perhaps a lawsuit from broadcasters but also any efforts to go to the ICC Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) are likely to fail. When the ICC signed its four year deal with the broadcaster for all ICC events, the contract included Pakistan and India matches based on which the broadcaster made the payments to the ICC. So the broadcaster will be within its rights to take the PCB and ICC to court over a major breach of the contract,” a PCB source said.
According to The Age, the ongoing broadcast rights cycle for men’s ICC events from 2023 to 2027 is valued at US$3 billion (INR 27,465 crore approximately). Over 40% of this broadcast money comes from India vs Pakistan matches.
The post ‘If Pakistan doesn’t relent’: PCB could be dragged to court if it boycotts IND vs PAK tie in T20 World Cup appeared first on Inside Sport India.