T20 World Cup: JioStar faces Rs 200–250 crore ad risk with Pakistan’s India match boycott

New Delhi: Pakistan’s decision to boycott its men’s T20 World Cup group match against India has created fresh uncertainty for the tournament’s host broadcaster, JioStar, and advertisers who treat the fixture as the single biggest monetisation moment of the cycle.

Islamabad has cleared its team to participate in the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2026 starting February 7, but said it “shall not take the field” for the February 15 match against India in Colombo. 

The ICC has publicly questioned the move and warned of consequences, underlining that selective participation can damage the global cricket ecosystem.

The standoff has landed at a moment when JioStar’s ICC rights economics are already under scrutiny in the market, amid periodic speculation around the cost of the deal. 

The ICC and JioStar have recently reiterated that the India media-rights agreement remains in effect, after reports about a possible exit triggered a clarification.

Industry executives estimate that if the India-Pakistan group game does not happen, the host broadcaster could face advertisement revenue loss of around Rs 200 crore to Rs 250 crore.

BestMediaInfo.com has reported that India-Pak games in recent ICC cycles have pegged 10-second slots at Rs 40–60 lakh levels.

What changes if Pakistan sticks to a “one-match boycott”

A boycott limited to the group stage creates a peculiar commercial mess.

If Pakistan skips only February 15, India would likely be awarded points via a walkover, but the broadcaster still loses the live event that anchors the biggest ad demand.

At the same time, the wider tournament remains intact, meaning JioStar cannot simply “replace” that inventory with another like-for-like event. 

Media buyers said the likely outcome, if the match is not played, would be a mix of make-goods, inventory swaps, and renegotiations, especially where brands have bought heavily around India-Pak as the centrepiece.

An industry veteran highlighted that the risk is sharper on streaming on JioHostar, where India-Pak typically delivers the biggest spike, and where pricing is increasingly linked to performance metrics and audience delivery.

ICC’s back-to-back pressure point

The episode is being closely watched as another high-stakes test for ICC CEO Sanjog Gupta, who took charge in July 2025 after running Star Sports and later JioStar’s sports business.

BestMediaInfo.com had earlier reported that broadcast executives privately praised Gupta’s “process-first” handling of a previous flashpoint because it protected a tournament’s “commercial spine”, including the knock-on effect delays can have on make-goods and brand rotations.

Also read: From Star India’s distress sale to JioStar’s ICC exit: How cricketing media-rights bubble caught up

With this new challenge arising a week before the tournament, ICC and its broadcast partner JioStar face three immediate worries.

First, inventory risk: India-Pak pricing is built on certainty of the fixture. If the game vanishes, the most expensive “day” on the schedule disappears with it.

Second, contract risk: major sponsors often buy tournaments with “must-have” matches in mind, even when contracts avoid naming specific fixtures. Industry veterans say cancellations trigger tough conversations on value and compensation, particularly when the missing game is the marquee one.

Third, precedent risk: if Pakistan can boycott one match and still play the rest, it raises the uncomfortable question of what happens if the teams are drawn to meet again later in the tournament. The Pakistan government statement, as reported so far, speaks only about the February 15 fixture, leaving future scenarios politically and commercially uncertain.