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PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi left R. Premadasa Stadium after Pakistan went 5 wickets down in the against India in the 2026 T20 World Cup clash on Sunday. Watch the video here.
PCB Chief Mohsin Naqvi (Credit: AFP)
Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Mohsin Naqvi was seen rushing to the exit and out of the R. Premadasa Stadium in Colombo in the middle of the second innings of the India-Pakistan T20 World Cup clash. PTI Videos captured him in a car outside the ground while the match was still on, while the media at the ground confirmed that he had left after Mohammad Nawaz got out in the 12th over.
Nawaz’s wicket was a telling blow indeed and all but sealed Pakistan’s fate in the match. At that time, the Men in Green were reduced to 77/5 in the chase of 176. The Men in Green eventually got bowled out for 114 in 18 overs to succumb to a big 61-run defeat.
Watch Naqvi’s exit here:
Seeing these pictures, some fans on social media joked that Naqvi had ‘run away’ before seeing his country lose to arch rivals. Naqvi hasn’t been able to warm himself up with Indian fans since taking over as the PCB and Asian Cricket Council (ACC) chief.
As a conservative politician and interior minister, he’s famously anti-Indian on his social media accounts. Then, last year, he refused to give up the stage when the Indian team said they didn’t want to take the Asia Cup trophy from his hands. Naqvi eventually left the ground with the trophy and has yet to return it.
Naqvi spearheaded PCB’s side during the recent conversations between the International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) over the Pakistan government’s now-redacted order to boycott the India game.
Live pictures from the broadcast showed Naqvi in one of the VVIP boxes at the ground. According to some reports, he was present at the venue to have an ice-breaking chat with the chairman, Jay Shah. Though they weren’t spotted together, Naqvi did meet Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) officials.
February 15, 2026, 23:23 IST
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