The T20 World Cup 2026 has already seen a lot of drama off the field and now former Indian spinner and cricket pundit Harbhajan Singh has added more spice to the story with his bold comments on Pakistan’s sudden change of decision against India.
Government gives green signal to India-Pakistan match in T20 World Cup 2026, a blow to boycott
When Pakistan first announced that they would be boycotting the big match against India in Colombo on February 15, it shocked the entire cricket world. The future of the biggest game of the tournament looked uncertain with the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) sticking to its stand.
Also read: India will abandon ultra-aggressive batting against Pakistan in T20 World Cup 2026 – Know why
As confusion grew among fans and stakeholders, the Pakistan government finally gave the green light to the India-Pakistan clash after a high-profile meeting between the PCB, International Cricket Council (ICC) and Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) in Lahore.
Harbhajan Singh’s temper has risen after Pakistan’s U-turn
Responding to the circus, Harbhajan Singh jokingly said that Pakistan’s U-turn is not surprising at all. The former Indian spinner has said that the PCB realized too late that the T20 World Cup 2026 would go ahead even without him.
The former cricketer has said that the financial loss of not playing the World Cup would have been huge and could have caused serious problems.
There was the threat of ICC action, heavy financial penalties and even being banned from future events. And more importantly, Pakistan’s chances of hosting ICC tournaments again could deteriorate. This is a big risk for any cricket board.
Harbhajan Singh explained the reason behind this step of PCB
“I think they realized too late that the tournament can go on without them, but not without India. They were saying a lot of things – that they support Bangladesh and will not play. Well, that is their view. We had said earlier that they will definitely take a U-turn and play,” ANI quoted Harbhajan Singh as saying.
Also Read: India vs Pakistan bilateral series coming? PCB Chairman broke his silence
The former World Cup winner further added, “The financial losses are huge, and when it comes to money, they will beg to play. That’s what happened. The financial losses are huge, and they could even be banned in the future. The ICC could have filed charges against them, and they might never have got the opportunity to host the tournament again. I think that’s why the U-turn happened.”
Sourav Ganguly welcomed Pakistan’s U-turn
Meanwhile, former Indian captain and former BCCI president Sourav Ganguly has also responded to Pakistan’s call. Ganguly said that sports and politics should be kept separate, but the good thing is that Pakistan reconsidered its stand and agreed to play against India in Colombo.
The legendary cricketer also said that India-Pakistan matches are always special and full of thrill and expects the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026 game to be a blockbuster once again as India has been dominating in most of the matches in recent times.
“I am not aware of the talks at the government level, but it is good that they are playing. Sports and politics are different. It will be a good match. India and Pakistan matches have always been good; there has not been much competition in the last few years. I hope Pakistan will play well because India is a great team and it will not be easy for them to beat India,” Ganguly was quoted as saying by NDTV in Kolkata.
