What has been reported about Pakistan’s withdrawal
The NDTV/PTI report, updated on 21 October 2026 at 7:12 pm IST, says the PCB declined the over-50s team’s request to participate. Fawad Ijaz, who heads the PVCA, said organisers had been informed of Pakistan’s withdrawal so they could arrange an alternate team.
That is a reported account of the decision, not a published PCB statement. India Today’s version, published at 7:05 pm IST, is also credited to PTI and repeats the same account. It should not be counted as a second, independent confirmation.
What Fawad Ijaz said about permission, visas and security
According to Ijaz’s comments in the PTI report, the organisers and host nation had assured the PVCA that the team would receive visas and high-level security. The PVCA then sought permission from the PCB and Pakistan’s foreign and interior ministries.
“We have informed the organisers about our withdrawal from the World Cup so that they can arrange for an alternate team,” Fawad Ijaz said, according to PTI.
Ijaz also said Pakistan’s interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, who is also PCB chairman, informed the association that the team was not permitted to play in India. The available reporting therefore attributes the refusal to the Pakistan side’s permission process. It does not establish that India refused visas.
The official IMC event details
The official International Masters Cricket website lists the IMC Over-50s World Cup for 24 January to 7 February 2027 in Hyderabad, India. Its page labels further information as “Details coming soon.”
The organiser’s listing confirms the event’s venue and window only. It does not, on the checked page, confirm a replacement for Pakistan, a revised draw, a full squad list or broadcast arrangements.
What remains unconfirmed
- No replacement team has been officially named in the checked IMC material.
- No revised draw or competition schedule has been published there.
- No official PCB press release matching this reported refusal was visible in the board’s checked press-release index, whose visible entries ran through 18 October 2026. That absence does not prove that no private communication exists.
- The reported assurances concern visas and security for the PVCA team; they are not evidence that visas were refused by India.
This is not the senior men’s 2027 ODI World Cup
The IMC event is a masters tournament for over-50s players. It must not be confused with the ICC senior men’s ODI World Cup scheduled for 2027. Pakistan’s reported withdrawal concerns this IMC event only; it does not mean the senior World Cup has been cancelled, that the entire IMC tournament is off, or that India rejected Pakistan’s travel documents.
To distinguish masters cricket from national-team ICC events, the international cricket formats guide explains Tests, ODIs, T20Is and ICC competitions. Its separate Vedik account guidance is not player registration or travel permission.
The next update to watch
The next material change would need to come from IMC, PVCA, PCB or another directly responsible official source. Until one of those sources names a replacement, publishes a draw or changes the venue and dates, the reliable position is limited: Pakistan’s participation has been reported as withdrawn after a PCB permission refusal, while IMC still lists Hyderabad from 24 January to 7 February 2027.
Bottom line: this is a Pakistan team withdrawal from one masters competition, not a cancellation of the tournament and not a decision by India to deny visas.