LAHORE: Cricketers of Pakistani origin or holding Pakistani passports may face difficulties in getting Indian visas for the upcoming ICC Men’s T20 World Cup, sources said. Jio is super On Tuesday.

According to sources, the cricket boards of the five teams featuring in the 2026 T20 World Cup have already approached the International Cricket Council (ICC) over the issue.

However, they did not receive any response from the ICC or any assurance from the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).

Ahead of the tournament, concerns persist over the visa process, particularly for players of Pakistani background or Pakistani passports.

Many participants, including UAE, Oman, Italy, Canada and the United States of America (USA), are green passport holders or of Pakistani origin.

The boards of these groups have initiated internal consultations and collectively raised the issue, expressing shared concern about the uncertainty. Despite contacting the ICC, they have reportedly not been given any assurances yet.

Sources further said that India has not given any clear answer to the ICC regarding visa facility for such players.

In the past, cricketers of Pakistani origin have faced difficulties in obtaining Indian visas, and those incidents have raised concerns among associate member boards.

Officials of the concerned boards believe that while players of Pakistani background have faced hurdles before, those traveling on Pakistani passports will face even bigger problems.

It is to be noted that the T20 World Cup 2026 is scheduled to be co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka from February 7 to March 8.

The 20 participating teams are divided into five groups of four, with the top two teams from each group advancing to the Super Eight stage. The Super Eight will then feature two groups of four teams each.

Defending champions India have been drawn in the same group as arch-rivals Pakistan, along with the Netherlands, Namibia and the United States (US).

Sri Lanka, unlike co-hosts India, are in a relatively tough group that has three full-member teams, Australia, Zimbabwe and Ireland along with Oman.

Another group will feature England, West Indies, Bangladesh, Italy and Nepal, while the remaining group will include South Africa, New Zealand, Afghanistan, United Arab Emirates and Canada.

The Super Eight round will begin on February 21 in Colombo and conclude on March 1 in Kolkata.

The first semi-final is on March 3, the second semi-final on March 5 and the final on March 8 in either Ahmedabad or Colombo.

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