Story byKevin HandSat, February 14, 2026 at 5:19 AM UTC·7 min readWho: India vs Pakistan What: ICC 2026 T20 World Cup Where: R Premadasa Stadium, Colombo, Sri Lanka When: Sunday, February 15 at 7pm (13:30 GMT) How to follow: We’ll have all the buildup on Al Jazeera Sport from 9:30 GMT in advance of our text commentary stream. One of the world’s most watched sporting events will take to the screens of viewers all around the globe on Sunday, but only after last-minute talks reversed Pakistan’s decision to boycott their T20 World Cup match against neighbours and rivals, India. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementFollowing Bangladesh’s expulsion from the tournament for refusing to play their games in India, the Pakistan government stepped in to stop the group stage match from going ahead in a show of solidarity with the Bangladeshi team. After talks with the game’s governing body – the International Cricket Council (ICC) – Bangladesh and tournament co-hosts Sri Lanka, Pakistan reversed their decision. Al Jazeera Sport takes a look at the game, now that matters return to the on-field rivalry – although handshakes and gestures will be under the spotlight once more. What happened the last time India played Pakistan?Sunday’s group-stage game is a repeat of the 2025 Asian Cup final, which India won by five wickets. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe game, much like the team’s earlier meeting in the tournament, was overshadowed by the lack of handshakes between the sides and India’s refusal to accept the trophy, which was to be presented to them by Asian Cricket Council (ACC) Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was also chair of Pakistan’s cricket board and the country’s interior minister. Why are Pakistan allowed to play in Sri Lanka instead of India, but not Bangladesh?Both India and Pakistan reached an agreement in 2024 that matches between the sides would be played at neutral venues, even if either were hosting a tournament. Bangladesh’s late refusal ahead of its tournament to play matches in India over security concerns was not something that had been agreed to or sanctioned by the ICC. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementOne Pakistan player’s life was changed by an Indian cricketerPakistan’s Usman Tariq left his cricket ambitions back home to start a salesman’s job in Dubai, before a biopic about India great Mahendra Singh Dhoni changed his life. The unusual bowling action of the double-jointed spinner has created plenty of chatter in his first T20 World Cup, and now he goes into Sunday’s revived clash against India as one of Pakistan’s main weapons. His inspiration was born in India, and Tariq admits if he had not watched the 2016 Bollywood movie, M. S. Dhoni: The Untold Story, he might not be playing cricket today. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBased on the life of India’s World Cup-winning captain, the movie told a tale of grit, rejection and eventual glory – and made Tariq believe it was never too late to chase his ambition.“I had left behind thinking of making a name in cricket, but one day I watched this film, and it convinced me that I can also do the same,” Tariq said. Tariq, now 30, left Dubai and roamed around the world to mature as a mystery spinner. Pakistan skipper Salman Agha insisted Tariq will be a special weapon when his side face their archrivals, after being cleared to play following an Islamabad government U-turn that reversed an earlier order to boycott the India match. AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisement“Tariq is our X-factor and a key weapon,” Agha said ahead of the tournament after Pakistan had used him sparingly to protect his unique action. Since making his international debut just three months ago, Tariq has taken 11 wickets in four T20 internationals, including a hat-trick against Zimbabwe in Rawalpindi. He grabbed a match-defining 3-27 against the USA in Colombo on his World Cup debut this week. Why is Tariq’s bowling action controversial?The 28-year-old’s bizarre bowling action was reported as illegal.
