Why are India and Pakistan in same group always?:5 reasons behind every ICC tournament having IND vs PAK matches since 2012

An India vs Pakistan match in any tournament is an absolute must-watch. And on most occasions, the arch-rivals have had memorable clashes when the stakes are high in ICC tournaments. The upcoming T20 World Cup also has an India vs Pakistan match scheduled for 15 February, but uncertainty prevails over this clash. A few days ago, the Government of Pakistan announced that their team would not take the field against India in the T20 World Cup. While the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) are yet to officially communicate their decision to the International Cricket Council (ICC) at the time of writing, Team India will be expected to travel to Colombo and train before a final verdict is issued. While this uncertainty is certainly not desired, this situation begs the question- why are India and Pakistan kept in the same group in every ICC tournament since 2012? The two teams had first faced each other on the World Cup stage in 1992. Since then, in 34 years, there have been 9 ODI World Cups, 9 T20 World Cups, and 9 Champions Trophies. In 27 tournaments, there have been 22 India-Pakistan matches. India won 18 of those matches while Pakistan have had four victories. Viewership, broadcasting rights, and tournament metrics are some of the reasons why the ICC always ensures every tournament has at least one India-Pakistan match. 5 reasons why every ICC tournament since 2012 has had IND-PAK matches 1. 27-28 crore people watch IND-PAK matches The India-Pakistan encounter is no longer just cricket; it has become a global event. Statistics show that out of the top-10 most-watched matches in cricket history, 6 are India-Pakistan matches. In India, these matches are watched by an average of 20 to 22 crore people, while globally this figure reaches 27 to 28 crore. This is why the ICC tries to schedule at least one India-Pakistan match in every major tournament. Understand this with an example: In the 2019 ODI World Cup, a total of 48 matches were played, which were watched by 706 million viewers across TV and digital platforms, which means approximately 14.7 million viewers per match. In the same tournament, the India-Pakistan match was the standout in terms of viewership. This single match was watched by 270 million viewers, which was approximately 35% of the World Cup’s total viewership. However, the most-watched match between India and Pakistan to date was the 2011 World Cup semi-final. It was watched by 495 million people. The ICC feels that it should not wait for knockout games like the semi-final or final for India and Pakistan to face each other, with uncertainty over qualification. By placing these two teams in the same group, high viewership can be fetched from the league stage itself. 2. Broadcaster’s pressure The biggest factor behind ICC putting India and Pakistan in the same group is money. The ICC has sold the media rights for 2024 to 2027 for 3 billion dollars (approximately 24 thousand crore rupees) to JioStar. Broadcasters paying such a large sum do not want to risk the India-Pakistan match depending solely on knockouts, where the entire plan could fail if one team is eliminated early. Having India-Pakistan matches in the group stage fetches high TRP (Television Rating Point) to ICC and broadcasters. Keeping this logic in mind, an India-Pakistan match in the T20 World Cup 2026 was also scheduled for Sunday, 15 February. On Sundays, more and more viewers gather to watch the match, which rapidly increases viewership. 3. Host city benefits from cricket tourism An India-Pakistan match means a houseful stadium. The demand for tickets is so high that tickets for this match often sell for more than tickets for the tournament’s final. Broadcasting rights, advertising, and digital viewership, the India-Pakistan match surpasses other matches on every parameter. Industry experts believe that sometimes a single India-Pakistan match pulls up the entire tournament’s revenue graph. The host city directly benefits from these earnings in the form of cricket tourism. Not only from India and Pakistan, but fans from different parts of the world arrive in the city where the match is played. A big example of this is the 2015 World Cup match, which was played in Melbourne. For this match alone, about 30,000 Indian and Pakistani fans had reached Melbourne. The result – hotel bookings full, expensive flights, local transport, restaurants, and small businesses thrived. 4. Emotions make the match a must-watch The biggest strength that makes the India-Pakistan match special is its emotional connection. Whether it’s Javed Miandad mimicking Kiran More in the 1992 World Cup or Venkatesh Prasad’s send-off to Aamir Sohail after dismissing him in the 1996 World Cup, such scenes have defined this rivalry over the years. The ICC directly benefits from this emotional engagement. Due to sponsorship and global attention, an India-Pakistan match is not just a game of cricket, but becomes the biggest must-watch event in terms of both earnings and craze. 5. Cricket’s ‘El Clasico’ Just as the rivalry between Real Madrid and Barcelona or Brazil and Argentina in football holds massive significance worldwide, an India vs Pakistan match in cricket has also become an iconic rivalry. Therefore, no matter what the schedule is, it has now become almost impossible to exclude the India-Pakistan clash. Also read: Pakistan receive no support from other boards on boycotting India: PCB ‘isolated’ in cricket world with looming risk of ICC sanctions 3 important facts on India-Pakistan matches 1. India-Pakistan match in every ICC event since 2012 Bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan stopped after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. When the situation improved somewhat, the Pakistan team last toured India in 2012. However, the two countries have not had any bilateral cricket since then. As a result, clashes between India and Pakistan are now limited only to multi-nation tournaments. The ICC gradually turned this compulsion into a commercial opportunity. In the 2011 World Cup, both teams were in different groups, but they faced each other in the semi-finals. After this, India-Pakistan matches were seen at some stage in almost every major ICC tournament. Since 2012, India and Pakistan have clashed 12 times in ICC events. India dominated these encounters. The team won 10 matches, while Pakistan could only win twice. However, one of these was also the 2017 Champions Trophy final. 2. 22 ICC Matches in 34 Years The first encounter between India and Pakistan in ICC tournaments took place at the 1992 ODI World Cup, which the Men in Blue won by 43 runs. Since then, in the last 34 years, the two teams have faced each other 22 times, combining ICC’s three major events, the ODI World Cup, T20 World Cup, and Champions Trophy. The most recent clash occurred in the 2025 Champions Trophy, where India defeated Pakistan by 6 wickets. 3. India and Pakistan met in Asia Cup three times after Pahalgam attack After the Pahalgam terrorist attack, the Indian government adopted a strict stance against Pakistan, and its effect was also seen on sports diplomacy. BCCI formally objected that India and Pakistan should not be placed in the same group in future ICC tournaments. Despite this, the situation did not change. During the Asia Cup, it was argued that the tournament is held under the ACC, so a change in grouping is not possible. After this, the same old pattern was seen in the T20 World Cup 2026 as well, where India and Pakistan were again placed in the same group. In the Asia Cup final, India defeated Pakistan to win the trophy. Mohsin Naqvi, Chairman of the Pakistan Cricket Board and head of ACC, did not present the trophy to Team India, which snowballed into a big controversy. Throughout the Asia Cup, the Indian team also refused to shake hands with Pakistani players.