T20 World Cup Press Conference Live Updates: ‘We’ve been told we have to play game on 15th’ – Suryakumar Yadav on Pakistan boycotting India game

T20 World Cup 2026 Captains Press Conference Today Live Updates: All captains are about to address the media in two separate press conferences today, one in Colombo and another in Mumbai.

All Team Captains T20 World Cup Press Conference Today Live Updates: With just two days left for the start of the T20 World Cup in India and Sri Lanka, India captain Suryakumar Yadav said that the Indian team would be flying to Colombo for the group stage game against Pakistan, even though their arch-rivals have announced they would be boycotting the game.

“Humne manaa nahi kiya hai khelne. Unhone mana kiya hai. Hamara flights booked hai Colombo ke liye (We have not refused to play against Pakistan. They have refused. Our flights for Colombo for the Pakistangame are booked),” Yadav said in a press conference.”

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Answering another question about the Pakistan situation, the Indian captain said: “I feel their decision is not in my control. We have been told we have to play a game on 15th. We played them thrice in Asia Cup. we played well. We have a game to play on 15th.”

Meanwhile, at a press conference in Colombo, Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha had said: “The India game is not in our control. It’s the government’s and the PCB’s decision and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we will do that.”

Thursday saw all captains addressing the media in two separate press conferences. The first press conference was e held in Sri Lanka’s Colombo, where the captains of Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, UAE and Zimbabwe will speak. Later in the day, captains of India, Afghanistan, Canada, England, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA and West Indies addressed the media in Mumbai in groups.

The press conferences come on the heels of a massive controversy with Bangladesh being ejected from the T20 World Cup just weeks before the start of event for refusing to play games in India. Pakistan, in the aftermath of Bangladesh’s ouster, refused to play against India in a group stage game that was to be played in Sri Lanka.

Scroll down to follow all the updates from both press conferences of the T20 World Cup

Live Updates
Feb 5, 2026 03:59 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

Suryakumar Yadav on Indian cricket talent: "Good headache to have. It can get difficult to pick a XI. But you have to keep the team ahead and pick the best XI."

Feb 5, 2026 03:59 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

Suryakumar Yadav on coach Gautam Gambhir's impact in dressing room: "It has been a wonderful journey. The atmosphere he has created in the team, he has tried to infuse a culture of playing for the team and keeping personal milestones. Dressing room atmosphere is very light."

Via The Indian Express’ Shankar Narayan from Mumbai

Feb 5, 2026 03:58 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

Suryakumar Yadav on India's mentality in ICC events: "We have been playing a good brand of cricket. We played bilateral and ICC events with a different mindset earlier. But for the last 12 months, we have tried to play with the same mindset."

Via The Indian Express’ Shankar Narayan from Mumbai

Feb 5, 2026 03:57 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

Suryakumar Yadav on the increasing scoring rates: "The game is actually moving fast. it is harsh on bowlers. I am happy that I am a batter. I feel for my bowlers."

Feb 5, 2026 03:48 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

Surya on the Washington Sundar situation: "Tilak Varma got a break, didn't play NZ series, he looked a different player when he came back. We spoke to Washington Sundar, he is almost there. We are willing to be patient with him."

Via The Indian Express’ Shankar Narayan from Mumbai

Feb 5, 2026 03:45 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

India captain Suryakumar Yadav on the dew factor: "Dew is not a controllable. We will control what we can control. We are doing well batting 1st and chasing. We will take a call on the big matches. We have played a lot of matches when there is dew. We should look to ignore that factor."

Via The Indian Express’ Shankar Narayan from Mumbai

Earlier this week, former India captain MS Dhoni had said that dew was one factor that "scared him".

Feb 5, 2026 03:43 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

India captain Suryakumar Yadav on the Pakistan issue: "Humne manaa nahi kiya hai khelne. Unhone mana kiya hai. Hamara flights booked hai Colombo ke liye (We have not refused to play against Pakistan. They have refused. Our flights for Colombo for the Pakistangame are booked.)"

Surya adds: "Pehle hum yahan khelenge, phir dilli jaayenge, phir wahaan se Colombo jaayenge (First we will play in Mumbai, then head to Delhi and then travel to Colombo)."

Answering another question about the Pakistan situation, the Indian captain said: "I feel their decision is not in my control. We have been told we have to play a game on 15th. We played them thrice in Asia Cup. we played well. We have a game to play on 15th."

Via The Indian Express' Shankar Narayan from Mumbai

Feb 5, 2026 03:41 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav speaking in Mumbai

India captain Suryakumar Yadav speaks about the expectations on Team India

"The way we have been playing, it looks like that (the pressure is on us). I am very relieved to get my form back. Good to be back among the runs before a big tournament," Surya said at his pre-tournament press conference before the T20 World Cup.

Via The Indian Express' Shankar Narayan from Mumbai

Feb 5, 2026 03:32 PM IST
Harry Brook speaks

England captain Harry Brook, speaking in the first set of press conferences in Mumbai, sets sights in England winning the T20 World Cup.

"We are confident, we want to go all the way in the tournament, but would still want to take it one game at a time," Brook has said.

Suryakumar Yadav coming up in the second set of press conferences in Mumbai.

Feb 5, 2026 03:07 PM IST
Suryakumar Yadav to attend press conference soon

India captain Suryakumar Yadav will be in action soon. Not on the pitch with the bat, but in the press conference room facing a scrum of reporters instead of bowlers.

Today is the captains' day with the T20 World Cup about to start in two days.

The first set of press conferences have already happened in Sri Lanka’s Colombo, where the captains of Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, UAE and Zimbabwe spoke.

Now, it's time for the captains of India, Afghanistan, Canada, England, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA and West Indies to address the media.

Feb 5, 2026 02:42 PM IST
Salman Agha speaks in Colombo

Media reports have quoted Pakistan captain Salman Ali Agha saying this about Bangladesh's exit from the upcoming T20 World Cup: "Bangladeshis are our brothers; we are grateful for their support for Pakistan. It's a pity that they are not playing in the tournament".

Speaking about the boycott of the India game, Agha said: "The India game is not in our control. It's the government's and the PCB's decision and we respect that. Whatever they are going to say, we will do that," Agha said during the captain's conference."

Feb 5, 2026 02:19 PM IST
Salman Agha speaks in Colombo

Pakistan T20I captain Salman Ali Agha is addressing the media in Colombo. First up, he expressed his excitement to be leading Pakistan in a tournament of this stature.

“This is my first World Cup as a captain &nd I'm very excited about it. I hope the team will perform well under my captaincy,” Agha said at the PC.

The Pakistan team is coming into the T20 World Cup after a clean sweep over injury-hit Australia in a three-match T20I series in Pakistan.

Feb 5, 2026 01:33 PM IST
Nasser Hussain backs Bangladesh, Pakistan over World Cup boycott

Former England captain Nasser Hussain has slammed the ICC over their handling of matters in the T20 World Cup boycott issue with Bangladesh being evicted for refusing to play in India for security reasons, and then their reaction to the Pakistan Cricket team's decision to boycott the game against India.

Questioning the ICC’s consistency, Hussain said: "If India, a month before a tournament, said ‘our government does not want us to play in a country for a World Cup’, would the ICC have been so firm and said, ‘You know the rules, bad luck, we’re knocking you out?’

“The only question all sides ask for is consistency. Bangladesh, Pakistan, and India must be treated the same. Yes, India fans may say, ‘Cry more, we have the money!’ But with power comes responsibility. Constantly knocking Bangladesh or Pakistan diminishes their cricket. That’s why the great games between India and Pakistan or India and Bangladesh have become one-sided over time,” he added.

Feb 5, 2026 12:56 PM IST
Pakistan captain Salman Agha responds to PCB decision to boycott India

Last Sunday, Pakistan's T20I captain Salman Agha was asked at a press conference about his country’s decision to boycott the India game in the group stages of the forthcoming T20 World Cup 2026.

“We are going to the World Cup. Humara decision nahi hai, hum kuch nahi kar sakte. (The decision not to play against India isn’t ours, so we cannot do anything about it.) Whatever our government, the PCB chief tells us to do, we will do that only,” Agha told reporters after the conclusion of the third T20I against Australia on Sunday.

The India vs Pakistan game was pencilled in at the R Premadasa Stadium in Colombo on February 15.

The Pakistan government on Sunday had stated that they will boycott the league-stage clash against India.

Feb 5, 2026 12:27 PM IST
T20 World Cup 2026 Group A squads

India: Suryakumar Yadav (c), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Sanju Samson, Shivam Dube, Ishan Kishan, Hardik Pandya, Arshdeep Singh, Jasprit Bumrah, Harshit Rana, Varun Chakaravarthy, Kuldeep Yadav, Axar Patel, Washington Sundar, Rinku Singh

Pakistan: Salman Ali Agha (c), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Khawaja Mohammad Nafay, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Salman Mirza, Naseem Shah, Sahibzada Farhan, Saim Ayub, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Shadab Khan, Usman Khan, Usman Tariq

United States: Monank Patel (c), Jessy Singh, Andries Gous, Shehan Jayasuriya, Milind Kumar, Shayan Jahangir, Saiteja Mukkamala, Sanjay Krishnamurthi, Harmeet Singh, Nosthush Kenjige, Shadley Van Schalkwyk, Saurabh Netravalkar, Ali Khan, Mohammad Mohsin, Shubham Ranjane.

Netherlands: Scott Edwards (c), Colin Ackermann, Noah Croes, Bas de Leede, Aryan Dutt, Fred Klaassen, Kyle Klein, Michael Levitt, Zach Lion-Cachet, Max O’Dowd, Logan van Beek, Timm van der Gugten, Roelof van der Merwe, Paul van Meekeren, Saqib Zulfiqar

Namibia: Gerhard Erasmus (c), Zane Green, Bernard Scholtz, Ruben Trumpelmann, JJ Smit, Jan Frylinck, Louren Steenkamp, Malan Kruger, Nicol Loftie-Eaton, Jack Brassell, Ben Shikongo, JC Balt, Dylan Leicher, WP Myburgh, Max Heingo.

Feb 5, 2026 12:24 PM IST
HELLO

We're just two days away from the T20 World Cup in India and we'll have all the captains addressing the media today at two separate PCs.

The first press conference will be held in Sri Lanka’s Colombo, where the captains of Sri Lanka, Australia, Ireland, Netherlands, Oman, Pakistan, UAE and Zimbabwe will speak. Later in the day, captains of India, Afghanistan, Canada, England, Italy, Namibia, Nepal, New Zealand, Scotland, South Africa, USA and West Indies will address the media in groups.

Pakistan cricket board might enforce Force Majeure with ICC, BCCI says it’s a ‘weak argument’

Anticipating sanctions from the International Cricket Council (ICC) over their last-minute withdrawal from the T20 World Cup game against India in Colombo on February 15, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) might enforce the Force Majeure clause in their defence, The Indian Express has learnt.

The clause refers to unforeseeable circumstances that can prevent a contract from being fulfilled. And in their expected communication to the international body, sources said, the PCB will justify their stand by attaching their government’s social media post on February 1 that instructed them to boycott the India game.

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