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As a harsh disciplinary measure, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) fined each of the players on the Pakistan men's national team who attended the ICC Men's T20 World Cup 2026 16 lakh Liga (about PKR 50 lakh).

This ruling was delivered on March 3, 2026, following an appallingly dismal campaign of Pakistan, who have not only sorely lacked in their progress to the semi-finals of the T20 World Cup but have also previously never left the group stage in the history of this tournament. The team lost greatly against India and Australia, only one win over the minnows, Uganda, and bottomed out with a net run rate of -2.45.

A veteran captain, Misbah-ul-Haq, who organized the investigation committee of PCB, attributed the fines to various factors:

• Poor team performance and no fighting vital games.
• The training discipline breaches (being late to the training, in-team issues, and the supposed bio-bubble breach) during the tournament.
• Lack of compliance with fitness and fielding expectations of the coaching personnel.
• Bad media coverage and backlash by fans following recurring failures.

The penalty is equally imposed on the entire squad of 15 players in the World Cup, including players like captain Babar Azam, who is an all-round player, Shaheen Khan, a fast bowler, and upcoming talents such as Saim Ayub and Abbas Afridi. The financial punishment was not applied to senior players and management (head coach Gary Kirsten and team director Mickey Arthur), but everyone was warned and forced to improve performance.

The PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi said, "There is no bargain on accountability." The group disappointed 240 million Pakistanis. The point of these fines is mere symbolism, but one that gets the point across loud and clear, rewards results, and discipline and punishment do not work.

The fines will be subtracted out of the players' central contracts and match fees. Some of the players are even reported to be appealing to the PCB Players Association, claiming that the penalty is too harsh and it is a non-performance-based penalty.

Fans have been split in their reaction to the move: on the one hand, it is admirable that PCB makes such a hard decision, and on the other hand, it targets the players without addressing the deeper problems of the system (selection, coaching, domestic structure) that do exactly the same. The fines only serve as pressure on the team to recover in time, as an event like the Champions Trophy 2026 is going to take place in Pakistan later this year.

The T20 World Cup clash between Pakistan and the 2026 campaign will now be remembered not only due to on-field disappointment but also due to one of the heaviest financial fines ever awarded on an international team of cricketing players by its own governing body.