Mohsin Naqvi, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman, won’t be travelling to Ahmedabad to attend the Indian Premier League (IPL) 2026 final at the Narendra Modi Stadium on May 31. However, he will make his presence felt at the ICC Board Meeting, which will take place on the sidelines of the T20 tournament’s summit clash. According to a PTI report, the senior PCB official will attend the ICC Board of Directors meeting through video conference. He will be able to do that through a provision that has always existed for member representatives who are unable to travel.
The ICC meeting was originally scheduled to be held in Doha last month but was postponed due to the ongoing crisis between the USA and Iran in West Asia.
The PTI report also claimed that Naqvi was never expected to attend the ICC meeting in person, and his virtual participation was in line with the ICC’s standard practice.
Not just Naqvi; two more members will attend the meeting virtually. All the top administrators from across cricket boards are expected to be present. And quite contrary to reports, the BCCI never invited Naqvi for the IPL 2026 final. If he had come to India, it would have been for the ICC board meeting and nothing else.
It is worth mentioning that several reports in Pakistan media claimed that the BCCI personally invited Naqvi for the IPL 2026 final, which is not the case.
When was the original meeting scheduled?
The meeting in Doha was slated to happen between March 25 and 27, but had to be postponed due to the West Asia crisis. The meeting was to include ICC Board Directors, Chief Executives, Committee members, and the apex body’s senior leadership. The global broadcasting rights were set to be the biggest topic of discussion as the deal between ICC and JioStar is set to expire in 2027.
“The meetings will bring together ICC Board Directors, Chief Executives, Committee Members and senior leadership as part of the organisation’s ongoing governance calendar, providing an important opportunity to deliberate over key matters pertaining to the present and future of the global game,” the ICC had stated in an official release.
“The decision to stage the meetings in Doha reflects the ICC’s growing engagement with cricket in Qatar and the country’s wider sporting ecosystem. The ICC’s support of and collaboration with the Qatar Cricket Association and Olympic Committee, Cricket in Qatar has fuelled remarkable progress for the sport in recent years,” it added.