Pakistan banned from World Club Championship 2026; IPL participation officially ruled out

On Sunday, July 6, a report emerged claiming that there will be no participation from Pakistan in the upcoming World Club Championship 2026, which is the rebranded version of the Champions League T20.

Also, the participation of the Indian Premier League (IPL) teams has been ruled out for the 2026 edition of the World Club Championship, as per PTI.

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PCB snubs World Club Championship 2026 meeting

A few days back, it was reported by The Cricketer that the World Club Championship, a successor to the long-discontinued Champions League T20, is set to start in 2026.

It was mentioned that the tournament will feature the champion teams from leading T20 leagues in the world, including Indian Premier League (IPL), Pakistan Super League (PSL), Big Bash League (BBL), SA20, The Hundred, ILT20, Major League Cricket (MLC), and Caribbean Premier League (CPL).

The competition has received good backing from the ICC Chairman Jay Shah, the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI), and the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB).

Meanwhile, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) didn't send the Pakistan Super League (PSL) CEO or any other official to the meeting in London last month, and the PSL champions are unlikely to receive an invitation for the global competition.

"The Pakistan Cricket Board was invited to send its CEO of the PSL for a meeting held on the sidelines of the cricket connect meeting in London last month but no one showed up," the source said as quoted by PTI.

CEOs of leading T20 leagues attend meeting, no IPL participation confirmed

The source stated that the CEOs of ILT20, Big Bash League (BBL), The Hundred, SA20, Major League Cricket (MLC) and other leagues were part of the meeting, which was organised by England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) and they discussed fixed windows for their tournaments and the availability of overseas players.

“Discussions were held on the proposed World Clubs Championship, its window, format, schedule, etc. (The) CEOs of the Emirates League, Big Bash League, The Hundred, SA20, MLC, Caribbean Premier League, etc, attended the meeting. Pakistan was also invited," the source said.

Also, the source revealed that no IPL teams will take part in the 2026 edition of the event despite BCCI's backing, and the tournament will consist of five teams.

“Though the planned event has the backing of the Indian board but for the inaugural championship, there will be no IPL participation," he stated.

Pakistan's Mohsin Naqvi has also not regularly attended ICC meetings - Source

According to the same report, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chief, Mohsin Naqvi, has refrained from attending the ICC meetings on a regular basis since Jay Shah has taken charge of the global body.

"The PCB didn’t show up and strangely Chairman Mohsin Naqvi has also not regularly attended ICC meetings," he further said.

Notably, Jay Shah started his tenure as the chairman of the International Cricket Council (ICC) on December 1 after being elected unanimously for the role.

Coming back to the World Club Championship, the competition is being fast-tracked by BCCI, ECB, and other boards to derail the plans of the Saudi Cricket League, which is likely to receive funding of $400 million from private investors for the commencement.