Indian broadcasters are set to face a significant financial loss after Pakistan announced its boycott of the 2026 T20 World Cup against arch-rivals India following the government’s approval.
Pakistan, who have been drawn in Group A with India, Namibia, the Netherlands and USA, will play all their matches in Sri Lanka, which is co-hosting the tournament with India.
The green shirts will face the Netherlands on February 7, the opening day of the World Cup, followed by USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.
The India–Pakistan match is widely regarded as the most commercially lucrative match of the tournament, in terms of broadcast revenue, sponsorship deals, advertising premiums and ticket sales.
According to Indian media reports, the overall business value of an India-Pakistan T20 match is estimated to be around $500 million (about Rs 45,000 crore), including broadcasting rights, advertising, sponsorship activities, ticket sales and related business activities.
Advertising slots during the tournament are said to command between INR 25 lakh and INR 40 lakh per 10-second slot, significantly more than India’s knockout matches against other top teams.
The official broadcasting rights holder will feel the immediate financial impact as the advertising revenue of the India-Pakistan clash alone is estimated to be around INR 300 crores.
Reports suggest that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) will face an immediate loss of around Rs 200 crore.
Former Pakistan cricketer Rashid Latif highlighted the wider implications, noting that large corporate investments have already been committed to the tournament.
He pointed out that Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media group has invested around $900 million, while the rest of the world has put in roughly $600 million for the same World Cup.
“When you shake up a market of this magnitude, the impact is not limited to one broadcaster,” he said. “India is suffering, BCCI is suffering and ultimately ICC is suffering.”