What Will Happen If India, Pakistan Meet In Semifinal Or Final Of T20 World Cup? Knockout Clash Scenario Explained

IND vs PAK, T20 World Cup 2026: The build-up of the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 has been extremely chaotic over the past few days, and it took a new turn on Sunday, when the Pakistan government announced that their team are set to compete in the tournament, but will not take part in their match against India on February 15. The marquee tournament is scheduled to be played in India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

Pakistan were scheduled to play all of their T20 WC matches in Sri Lanka, but there were speculations around their possible absence from the tournament as a mark of solidarity for Bangladesh. Notably, ICC excluded Bangladesh from the tournament after the BCB stood firm on their stubborn request to shift their matches from India to Sri Lanka, citing security reasons. While Bangladesh confirmed their refusal to travel to India for the matches, the ICC introduced Scotland as their replacement in the tournament.

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The Pakistan Cricket Board has shown support to the BCB ever since the whole controversy started after the BCCI's instruction remove Mustafizur Rahman from KKR's IPL 2026 squad. PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was quick to accuse the ICC of double standards and hinted at Pakistan's possible pullout as well, but said that the final decision around their participation will be taken by their government. "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 15 February 2026 against India," Govt Of Pakistan wrote on X on Sunday.

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Although this controversy has been brewing for several weeks now, it could still take an intriguing turn going forward. Pakistan appears quite firm and serious about its stance at the moment, but the real test will come if the two teams are drawn against each other in a semifinal or any other knockout fixture — including a final. It remains to be seen whether Pakistan will hold its ground in such a high-pressure scenario, or if an alternative course of action emerges, because making such a decision in that situation would be far from straightforward.

Considering such a situation a possibility in the tournament, a report has emerged with a PCB source coming with an interesting claim. The report quoted the source that the Board will follow government instructions in case another game against the arch-foes gets lined up during the knockout stage of the tournament.

The ICC, in a statement on Sunday, said it ‘expects the PCB to explore a mutually acceptable resolution, which protects the interests of all stakeholders’. The global governing body also hinted that Pakistan’s revenue from the T20 World Cup would take a big hit if the decision is not changed.