Why India are playing a home T20 World Cup match vs Pakistan in Colombo and has it happened before?

India will play Pakistan at Colombo in a home T20 World Cup on Sunday! It sounded weird, right? Home T20 World Cup for India, but they are playing Pakistan in Sri Lanka! Weird as it may feel, that’s the truth. Team India arrived in Colombo on Friday (13 February) for the much-awaited Sunday match, while Pakistan have been in Colombo from the start of the T20 World Cup 2026, playing two group games already.

Follow LIVE |  IND vs PAK T20 World Cup match in Colombo

For those who want to point out that Sri Lanka are also co-hosts, yes, you are right. But it’s still rare and strange for India to be playing a match outside their own country when they are also the co-hosts. India, after all are the biggest powerhouse in cricket.

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New Delhi ✈️ Colombo

🎥 𝙏𝙧𝙖𝙫𝙚𝙡 𝘿𝙞𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 with #TeamIndia 😎#T20WorldCup | #MenInBlue pic.twitter.com/ydS83omczx

— BCCI (@BCCI) February 14, 2026

So why are they able to wield their influence and play a home World Cup match against Pakistan at home?

Why are India playing Pakistan at neutral venue?

That’s because of a 'Neutral Venue' agreement agreed between ICC, PCB and BCCI in 2025. After the Indian government disallowed the team from traveling to Pakistan for the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, there was a real chance of the Men In Blue not playing in the tournament.

The proposal on the table was to hold the tournament in a ‘Hybrid Model’ where India get to play their matches in Dubai, but Pakistan was not happy with such an arrangement. Pakistan eventually cut out a deal that, just like India, their matches will also take place at a neutral venue when India hosts an ICC event.

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This resulted in all stakeholders agreeing to a Neutral Venue Model that allowed India to play their matches in Dubai during the 2025 Champions Trophy, including the semi-final and final. And as per the same arrangement, Pakistan will play all their matches of the T20 World Cup 2026 in Sri Lanka and not India, even the semi-final and the final if they qualify.

How about the second question? Has such a thing ever happened in a World Cup before?

Has India ever played home World Cup matches at neutral venue?

Well, the Indian women’s team played against Pakistan in Sri Lanka in the 2025 ODI World Cup despite being the hosts. That match had also taken place in Colombo.

Interestingly, both India and Pakistan played at a neutral venue during the 2021 T20 World Cup as well. India were the hosts for that tournament, but it was hosted in the UAE and Oman due to COVID-19.

India and Pakistan played their match at Dubai, and it was the first time Pakistan won a World Cup game against India.

But in the 2023 ODI World Cup, Pakistan came to India for all the matches. This was done despite India not playing in Pakistan during the Asia Cup 2023.

All their matches during the Asia Cup took place in Sri Lanka under a Hybrid Model, but a similar arrangement was declined by Pakistan for the 2025 Champions Trophy, giving rise to the new Neutral Venue model.