Former Indian captain Kapil Dev has said not to comment on Pakistan’s decision to boycott the T20 World Cup 2026 clash against India in Sri Lanka on February 15.
Speaking on a recent Indian TV talk show, Kapil was asked about the growing rift between the two countries in cricket, but said such things are ultimately decided by government and cricket board policies.
“They say they won’t play in our stadium and we won’t play in their stadium. How do you see this?” asked the presenter.
“Honestly, it’s not my job. It’s the government’s responsibility and the cricket board’s responsibility. What should I do about it?” Kapil replied.
When pressed on whether such bans should exist in cricket, the 67-year-old again did not take a stand.
“Look, it doesn’t matter what I feel or don’t feel. What matters is the country’s policy,” he said.
The 1983 World Cup-winning captain highlighted that public comments by former players can often complicate emotional situations.
“Whatever is the policy of the country, people like us have to stand for it. If people like us start making statements, it confuses the public,” explained Kapil.
“I’m not here to confuse anybody. Let’s stand by our government, let’s stand by our cricket board. Time will tell whether they are right or wrong,” he concluded.
For the uninitiated, Pakistan will formally begin their campaign against the Netherlands at the Sinhala Sports Club Stadium in Colombo on February 7, followed by group-stage matches against the USA on February 10 and Namibia on February 18.
On February 15, R. The Green Shirts were scheduled to face arch-rivals India at the Premadasa Stadium. However, the Pakistani government has banned Blockbuster from participating in the tournament.
Following the group stage, the top two teams from each of the four pools advance to the Super Eight stage, in which the eight teams are divided into two groups of four.
The top two teams from each Super Eight group will qualify for the semi-finals on March 4 and 5.
If Pakistan reach the semi-finals and final, the knockout matches will be held in Colombo; Otherwise, the semi-final and final will be held in Kolkata and Ahmedabad respectively.
Pakistan Team: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Faqar Zaman, Khawaja Nafe, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shatab Khan, Usman Khan and Usman Khan.
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