Sri Lanka supporting Pakistan, Bangladesh? SLC makes stance clear on T20 World Cup row

When the ICC-Bangladesh drama was at its peak, Sri Lanka, co-host of the T20 World Cup 2026 along with India, remained silent.

The standoff between the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) and the International Cricket Council lasted for around 3 weeks, and in the meantime, the Sri Lankan cricket governing body did not invest a single word on this matter. Ahead of the ICC T20 World Cup 2026, a statement has finally been released from the island nation's cricket board.

Sri Lanka cricket issues an official statement

The Bangladesh cricket team was originally scheduled to play their initial matches in Kolkata and Mumbai. But the officials of BCB stated that because of security and safety concerns in India, they would not send their team to India to play the T20 World Cup.

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The cricket board requested the apex cricket body to shift their matches outside of India, as they did not want to play on Indian soil. As Sri Lanka is the co-host of the tournament, Bangladesh wanted to play in Sri Lanka, but instead of accepting the request, the ICC gave the Bangladesh cricket board an ultimatum.

BCB remained firm on their stance; as a result, they found themselves out of the marquee tournament. The council named Scotland in place of Bangladesh for the T20 World Cup 2026. Scotland was the top-ranked nation among those who failed to qualify for the tournament.

Pakistan yet to take a final call

After the Bangladesh cricket team's exit from the tournament, it is speculated that Pakistan can also think of skipping the tournament to support Bangladesh. Some recent claims also suggested that the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) can boycott only their scheduled fixture with India during the group stage.

Amid all these dramas, the Sri Lankan cricket board put itself away and remained silent. They finally expressed their vision on the entire matter. Cricket Secretary Bandula Dissanayake told AFP that Colombo wanted to avoid being drawn into regional disputes.

"In these disputes among India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh, we are remaining neutral; all of these are friendly nations," he said. It is further briefed that Sri Lanka will be open to hosting any of these nations in the future, which means they are purely trying to act like a neutral nation and have no desire to drag themselves into the mess.

India vs Pakistan match in focus

Because of political standpoints, the T20 World Cup 2026 match between India and Pakistan is scheduled to be played in Colombo.

According to media reports, sports minister Sunil Kumara Gamage told the news agency that they are paying special attention to the India-Pakistan matches. The highly anticipated India vs Pakistan T20 World Cup 2026 match will be held on February 15 in Colombo. The Pakistan Cricket Board has yet to take a final decision about its participation in the tournament.

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