India pull out of Blind T20 World Cup in Pakistan after no government clearance

Sailendra Yadav, general secretary of the Indian blind cricket association, speaking to India Today, confirmed that the government denied nod for the team to travel to Pakistan, which will host the Blind T20 World Cup from November 23.

In Short

• Pakistan set to host Blind T20 World Cup from November 23 to December 3
• Indian team was awaiting the government nod to travel to Pakistan
• India were the defending champions of Blind T20 World Cup

The Indian cricket team withdrew from the T20 World Cup for the Blind after the Ministry of External Affairs denied permission to travel to Pakistan, India Today has learnt. The blind cricket team got a No-Objection Certificate (NOC) from the Sports Ministry, but was waiting for clearance from the government.

Shailendra Yadav, General Secretary of the Indian Blind Cricket Association (IBCA), confirmed that the Ministry of External Affairs did not give them permission to travel across the border and told them to pull out from the tournament, which will be hosted by Pakistan from November 23 to December 3. Yadav also revealed that they're yet to get the official denial letter from the government and have been told verbally about not being granted permission to travel to Pakistan.

“We were waiting for the last 25 days to get permission from the government to go to Pakistan. Now we can’t wait any longer as the tournament is about to begin. When I talked with the Ministry of External affairs (MEA) on the phone then they told us that we won't be getting any permission to go to Pakistan and we can cancel your tournament. They also told us that we will be getting an official letter of denial as well. However, we haven’t got any official letter yet but on the basis of our conversation with MEA we’ve decided not to go to Pakistan and we will not participate in the Blind T20 World Cup,” Yadav told India Today.

Further ahead, Yadav also said that along with India England, Australia and New Zealand will also not be participating in the tournament lamented the fact all the hardwork of the players will go in vain.

"Along with us, England, Australia and New Zealand are also not coming. Hence, India will become the fourth team which will not take part in this tournament. However, it’s a bit sad for cricket in general as cricket is a game for everyone. The match between India and Pakistan is watched intently by fans and both are really good sides. Now Pakistan will get a free walkover and it’s also tragic for the players who’ve been working hard for a long time. The team had to leave tomorrow on November 20 and I don’t think any miracle can happen in such a short period. Hence, we’ve decided not take part in the tournament that is scheduled to be held in Lahore, Pakistan," he added.

The decision from the Indian government comes days after the Board of Control for Cricket in India told the International Cricket Council that the Indian men's cricket team would not travel to Pakistan for the Champions Trophy. While the 50-over tournament is unlikely to be held without India, Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) had said the T20 World Cup for the Blind might go on without the Indian team. PBCC Chairman Syed Sultan Shah had earlier clarified that Pakistan had issued visas for the Indian team.

Notably, India are the defending champions of the Blind T20 World Cup having won all three editions of the tournament held in 2012, 2017 and 2022 respectively. Back in 2022, India beat Bangladesh by 120 runs in the final to clinch their third successive title at the M Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bengaluru. After putting up a big score of 277/2 on the board, India restricted their opponents to 157/3 and maintained their unbeaten run throughout the tournament.