Meet Imran Khwaja: The Man in the Middle of the IND vs PAK T20 World Cup Storm

The International Cricket Council (ICC) and the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) have been involved in intense discussions over the last few weeks. This comes after the Pakistan government barred their team from playing against India in T20 World Cup 2026.

After warning PCB about the complications of boycotting the IND vs PAK clash, the Pakistan board opened the discussions again and ICC officials reached Lahore for a meeting related to the greatest rivalry in cricket, which is scheduled to be played on February 15.

One among the ICC officials was Imran Khwaja, whose name has been doing the rounds ever since he reached Lahore. The ICC has asked him to mediate the issues with PCB and try to convince the Mohsin Naqvi-led board to play the clash against India.

Who is Imran Khwaja? The Man Who Is Mediating Between ICC and PCB

Imran Khwaja, notably, has often been asked by the ICC to settle the issues between the boards. He is seen as a rare neutral and a respected personality across Full and Associate members, trusted by administrators from both the subcontinent and beyond.

Imran Khawaja, who is a Singapore Cricket Association representative and long-time ICC powerbroker, has always acted as a quiet fixer, known to solve the issues without inflaming them more.

Khawaja is a lawyer by profession and has been associated with the ICC since 2008. In 2017, he was promoted as deputy chair of the global cricket body, a role in which he chaired some of the organisation’s most influential committees - Finance & Commercial Affairs, Nominations, Membership, and Development.

Imran Khwaja - A Powerful Force Among Associate Members

Imran Khwaja ICC role has been one of the main reasons behind Associate nations having a stronger voice in world cricket. His efforts to make associate nations recognised came during Shashank Manohar’s tenure when he advocated for smaller nations.

He also acted as the interim chair of the ICC when Manohar stepped down in 2020. His leadership was commendable during that period - a time when covid pandemic-disrupted calendar. He also contested the ICC chair elections, but lost to Greg Barclay after two rounds of voting.

Earlier this year, Khwaja was re-appointed as the Associate Member director at the ICC AGM, which took place in Colombo. Besides that, he continues to be the ICC deputy chairman. Jay Shah, the renowned figure in Indian cricket's administration, is the chairman of ICC.