Pakistan’s decision to play the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 match against arch-rival India reportedly saved $174 million for the International Cricket Council (ICC), according to Indian media.
The estimated savings cover broadcasters’ revenues, gate receipts, and various sponsorship deals that would have been lost if the match had been cancelled.
Indian media also reported that the revival of the match had an immediate impact on travel and tourism. Airfares for flights between Mumbai and Colombo surged, with ticket prices rising from INR10,000 to INR60,000.
The development followed the federal government’s announcement on Monday, confirming that Pakistan will play its scheduled match against India on February 15 in Colombo.
“The government of Pakistan has reviewed the formal requests extended to the PCB by the BCB, as well as the supporting communications from Sri Lanka, the United Arab Emirates, and other member nations,” read a statement issued by the government.
The hotel industry in Colombo welcomed the decision, anticipating increased bookings and business from visiting cricket fans.
However, the announcement also prompted confusion among some fans who had previously cancelled hotel reservations or boycotted the Pakistan match. Many are now contacting hotels to rebook or inquire about refund policies, while others seek clarification on ticket refunds for the Pakistan-India encounter.
For the unversed, Pakistan had initially boycotted the India clash following the BCCI-BCB saga as the tensions flared between the cricket boards of Bangladesh and India after Mustafizur Rahman was dropped from the Indian Premier League (IPL) at the direction of the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), sparking outrage in Dhaka.
Later, the BCB requested the ICC to shift its matches outside India, but the international cricket body rejected the plea.
Following the BCB’s firm stance, the ICC replaced Bangladesh with Scotland in the tournament, saying it was not feasible to change the schedule so close to the February 7 start of the event.
The PCB, however, reacted strongly to the ICC’s decision and instead decided to boycott its India match over bias against Bangladesh.
