Indian broadcasters are facing a loss of billions after Pakistan boycotted the T20 World Cup 2026 match against India.
According to reports, Indian broadcasters may face huge financial losses after the Pakistani government announced not to play a match against India in the upcoming T20 World Cup 2026. Sources said that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) is likely to lose about 200 crore Indian rupees immediately as a result of this decision.
Pakistan is in Group A with India, Namibia, Netherlands and the United States and will play all its matches in Sri Lanka, which is the joint host of the tournament with India. The national team will play its first match on the opening day of the T20 World Cup against the Netherlands on February 7, the United States on February 10, and Namibia on February 18.
The match between India and Pakistan is considered the most lucrative match of the tournament, which is the main source of huge revenue from broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals and advertising. According to a report by the Indian Broadcasting Corporation, the total commercial value of a single Pakistan-India T20 match is about $ 500 million, which is equivalent to about 45 thousand crore Indian rupees, taking into account broadcasting rights, advertising premiums, sponsorship activities, ticket sales and other commercial activities.
The report says that the cost of a 10-second advertising slot during a Pakistan-India match ranges from 2.5 million to 4 million Indian rupees, which is much higher than other major Indian matches, even knockout competitions.
The biggest financial loss in the event of a Pakistan-India match not happening will be to the Indian state-owned broadcaster. According to industry analysts, the advertising revenue from this match alone could have been around 3 billion Indian rupees.
On the other hand, former Pakistani cricketer Rashid Latif has pointed out that large-scale corporate investment has already been made in this tournament. According to him, Indian billionaire Mukesh Ambani’s media group has invested about 900 million dollars, while the total investment from the rest of the world is around 600 million dollars.
Rashid Latif says that when there is such a large-scale upheaval in the market, its effects are not limited to just one broadcaster. When India is affected, the BCCI is affected, and ultimately, the ICC is also affected by it.
Read also: ICC responds to Pakistan’s refusal to play India in T20 World Cup
