India Pakistan T20 World Cup Match Status LIVE: IND-PAK game on as scheduled

India will take on Pakistan on 15 February. The match will take place at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo. The Sunday match will start at 7 PM. Fans can watch it on TV; the Star Sports Network will broadcast it live. Online viewers can watch the live-streaming on the JioHotstar app and the website.

Saqlain Mushtaq is missing the old camaraderie among Indian and Pakistani cricketers.

“I don’t think those things are coming back because things have gone too far. On the other side, they don’t want it to return; they have kept it this way specifically to polish their own politics and will continue to do so,” Mushtaq said on the ‘Game On’ show.

“First of all, it’s great that the game is back on. We never changed our preparation or our thinking that the game wasn’t going to happen,” said India's assistant coach Ryan ten Doeschate.

“We always had the impression that something would transpire and we would play, so it doesn’t really change the way we go about things,” he added.

Former ICC CFO Faisal Hasnain earlier explained the financial impact of an IND vs PAK cricket match. In a LinkedIn post, Hasnain said, "It's not just another game of cricket; it is one of the commercial backbones of an ICC event."

"TV ads for this match reportedly sell for $25,000-$40,000 for just 10-second slots. Prime time slot may even go for $50,000 for 10 seconds. On digital and connected TVs, 10-second ads may even be worth $10,000-$15,000. So a single minute of ad during an India vs Pakistan game can be worth $250,000 or more to the broadcaster. And that entire match could generate $60 million in ads alone," he said in the social media video.

"Industry estimates and history suggest that the total commercial value of this one match is around $200-$250 million. That's a lot of money for one game of cricket," he added.

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) earlier thanked PCB and Chairman Mohsin Naqvi for the ‘exemplary sportsmanship and solidarity’.

“We are deeply moved by Pakistan's efforts to go above and beyond in supporting Bangladesh during this period. Long may our brotherhood flourish,” BCB President Md Aminul Islam said.

"Following my short visit to Pakistan yesterday and given the forthcoming outcomes of our discussions, I request Pakistan to play the ICC T20 World Cup game on 15 February against India for the benefit of the entire cricket ecosystem," he added.

Following this, Pakistan withdrew its boycott.

India and Pakistan have played 16 T20 matches so far. India have won 13 of those while Pakistan emerged victorious in just 3 matches. The Men in Blue have played 5 T20s since their sole defeat to Pakistan in World Cups in 2021. India have won all 5 of those matches.

India and Pakistan have met 16 times in ICC World Cups. The Men in Blue won 15 of those. The only victory for Pakistan occurred in 2021, when Babar Azam and Mohammad Rizwan secured a 10-wicket victory in the T20 World Cup.

BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has thanked ICC Chairman Jay Shah and other officials for the successful negotiation with Pakistan.

"Ultimately, cricket is most important for everyone; international cricket is important for everyone," he said.

Speaking to news agency ANI, BCCI Apex council member Jaydev Shah said, "This is a huge step by ICC, which shows the World Cup is an important tournament for every country and there should be no politics in it. We are very happy with the ICC's stance. Pakistan had to change its decision."

Speaking to news agency ANI, Tharoor said, "I am a politician, but I don't like politics in cricket and sports. I think sports are a different field, a different game. Let politicians do their politics somewhere else, diplomats do their work in diplomacy, and cricket players play their game. I'm happy that at least cricket will move with this match. Who will win, and who will lose? That's another thing. Obviously, we are with our country. The match must happen,"

Speaking to news agency ANI, the former India captain said, "I am not aware of the talks on 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 plays well because India is a superb team and it is not going to be easy for them to defeat India..."

Former Pakistan batter Mohammed Hafeez has reacted to the reversal of stance of Pakistan government on playing India match.

Speaking to Tapmad, Hafeez said, "Whenever there is talk about an India–Pakistan match, I have always been in favour of it because this is that match, that rivalry, which inspires the entire world. I truly hope the match happens — God willing. And it’s not just about this one game. I’m not into this match alone. What I want is for India–Pakistan matches to happen on a routine basis, with politics kept out of it forever."

"Both countries should be allowed to fully play the role they can in growing and spreading the game, and cricket should never be stopped because of politics. Secondly, whatever scenario emerges regarding an India–Pakistan match, we must always keep the integrity and the spirit of the game at the highest level. Whenever this match is played — if it happens on the 15th — it should be played with complete sportsmanship." he added

"We don’t want matches like the Asia Cup ones. If it’s going to be played like that, then frankly, I’d rather not watch it at all," the former batter further stated

Speaking to ANI, Atul Wassan said, "It's a drama going on. Sometimes they (Pakistan) refuse, get upset, and sometimes they agree, all for their own satisfaction. Now the Bangladesh Board has requested, and Sri Lanka has, so they're agreeing. 'We've shown the ICC how much hegemony India has'- all these misconceptions are in their minds. There's no cure for this. I don't understand how they were harming India by not playing against India. If you are upset with the ICC, then don't play the World Cup, but they didn't do that. Instead, they made the India match an issue,"

Speaking on his YouTube channel, Chopra said, "The developing story is that Pakistan have made a U-turn. God knows what their demands were. This game will be played on February 15. After a lot of drama, we have come back to the same place. The match was on the 15th and will be played on the 15th,"

"Bangladesh were out and they are out. Mustafizur Rahman wasn't playing the IPL and he isn't playing the IPL. What tangible changes have happened in this time period - I don't know. I have no idea whatsoever," he added

Speaking to reporters on Monday, Naqvi said, "You know we are not ones to be afraid of these threats at all. Everyone knows our Field Marshall (Asim Munir). We are not worried about any sanctions,"

In a statement about the PCB-ICC agreement, BCB said, “BCB Expresses Gratitude to PCB, ICC and All Involved. The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) extends its sincere appreciation to the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), the International Cricket Council (ICC) and all involved for their positive roles in trying to overcome recent challenges.”

“In particular, the BCB wishes to express its profound and heartfelt gratitude to PCB Chairman Mohsin Raza Naqvi, his Board and the cricket fans of Pakistan. Throughout this period, the PCB has demonstrated exemplary sportsmanship and solidarity.” it added

During the discussions between ICC, BCB and PCB, it was also decided that Bangladesh will be hosting an ICC event between 2028 and 2031.

Moreover, ICC has also agreed to not levying any financial, sporting or administrative penalty on Bangladesh cricket board for refusing to send its team for the T20 World Cup.

BCB also retains the right to approach the Dispute Resolution Committee (DRC) of the ICC.

While all the drama around Pakistan playing or not playing the T20 World Cup was going on, former India off spinner Ravichandran Ashwin had clearly stated that Pakistan would be back to the negotiating table and would play the match against India on 15 February.

In a video on his YouTube channel, Ashwin said, “100 percent, the match between India and Pakistan will happen. I feel that it will happen. The next 3-4 days will see these decisions being overturned. And that’s my hunch, and I hope I want to see the India-Pakistan encounter. Because there are a lot of business decisions in this. Pakistan has another problem.”

“There may also be financial loss as you will have to reimburse the broadcasters for whatever loss they have incurred. So I think they will have to come to a compromise. The financial thing involved in this will mean that other ICC member countries, too, will face a loss. In the ICC meeting, all these members will say because of Pakistan, we are getting these losses. PSL is also going to happen. Even in PSL, players can say that we will not come,” Ashwin added

Speaking to news agency ANI, Virat Kohli's childhood coach Rajmukar Sharma said,"This was Pakistan's drama, which is what they always do. They supported Bangladesh, then pushed them aside, and now they have realised how much they will lose if they don't play against India. So, these kinds of things are expected from Pakistan,"

After days of says ‘no comments’ on the situation with Pakistan, BCCI Vice President Rajeev Shukla has finally spoken about decision of Pakistan to reverse the boycott against India.

Speaking to reporters on Tuesday, as quoted by news agency ANI, Shukla said, “I am delighted to see the outcome of the deliberations initiated by ICC representative, supervised by the ICC Chairman and the representatives who had gone to Lahore to talk to Pakistan Cricket Board as well as Bangladesh Cricket Board.”

“It's a good solution, an amicable solution which has been found to give priority to cricket's importance in the game. This is what has been done. So all kudos to ICC for taking this initiative, resolving the whole issue and bringing cricket back to the forefront. This is a big achievement as far as ICC is concerned. ” he added

"It's good news for all of us and the scheduled match for 15th February in Colombo will take place. Pakistan will also play. So now this World Cup will also be a big success story. Bangladesh's feelings have also been assaged as far as these negotiations are concerned, and some relief has been given to their board, and they are also happy. In fact, they have praised ICC for its efforts. It's a win-win situation for everybody and I'm happy that the match would take place and World Cup will be a successful event." he further stated

Reacting to Pakistan's U-turn on boycott, Madan Lal told news agency ANI, "It is good that they are playing, else the charm of the tournament would have died, and they would have also suffered financial loss. We've heard that Bangladesh and Sri Lanka had put pressure on them. India-Pakistan match is always exciting. Both teams are very good. There could be more pressure on the Pakistan team as they haven't won many matches against India lately. The game of cricket should not weaken,"