Mohsin Naqvi embarrassed: PCB chief leaves stadium early, refuses to sit through Pakistan’s collapse against India
The most telling moment of the India vs Pakistan match in Colombo didn’t come with a wicket celebration or a boundary. It came in the VIP enclosure when Mohsin Naqvi, the PCB chairman, was no longer in his seat before the chase was even formally beyond rescue. At the R Premadasa Stadium on Sunday, with a high-voltage group clash sliding rapidly out of Pakistan’s hands, officials in the media and hospitality areas confirmed that the board chief had left the venue while the match was still in progress and Pakistan were still batting. The departure was noticed between overs.
PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi and President of Sri Lanka Anura Kumara Dissanayake and others during an T20 World Cup match between India and Pakistan (PTI)
“Hearing from Pakistan media people that Mohsin Naqvi indeed left,” a source confirmed to The Hindustan Times Digital.
The exit came as the required rate climbed and the scoreboard became increasingly brutal. India had already set Pakistan 176 to win after reaching 175/7, and the response never found a stable shape. Early wickets in the powerplay left the chase behind the game, and the middle overs tightened into a squeeze where singles felt like survival, not momentum. By the time Pakistan were deep into the lower order, the contest had turned into damage control.
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Pakistan’s chase faltered, and how?
From the stands, the absence was picked up quickly. Around the press seats, the buzz was less about the next over and more about what the early departure signalled in a match that carries consequences far beyond two points – especially in a tournament already played under unusual logistical and political tension.
Notably, Mohsin Naqvi has been at the centre of the pre-tournament storm, first raising questions over Pakistan’s participation after Bangladesh were removed from the T20 World Cup 2026. Then he went onto argue that Pakistan’s stand was about securing respect for them.
That position turned into full boycott standoff around the India fixture, before talks with the ICC ended with Pakistan reversing course and taking the field in Colombo – a U-turn that kept the match on, but put every subsequent moment under harsher spotlight.
On the field, the pattern was ruthless. Pakistan’s top order fell in clusters, and the innings kept resetting itself before any partnership could threaten the target. With wickets continuing to tumble and the asking rate ballooning, the chase slipped into a familiar spiral – a side trying to protect its net run rate while still pretending a miracle was available. India bundled Pakistan out for 114 runs, winning the game by 61 runs.
Notably, there has been no official explanation offered at the ground for Mohsin Naqvi’s early exit, and that silence is likely to fuel the optics. In a rivalry where every gesture is magnified, leaving before the final wicket is bound to be interpreted by supporters, by critics, and by those who will ask what accountability looks like after another high-profile stumble.
