The World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 semifinal between India Champions and Pakistan Champions was called off on Wednesday. Players representing the India Champions had refused to play against Pakistan, upholding the country's stance against bilateral sporting engagements with Pakistan in the aftermath of the tragic Pahalgam terror attack. The two teams were scheduled to face each other on Thursday at the Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham.
As a result, Pakistan have qualified for the final — their second consecutive appearance in the summit clash of the WCL. In the inaugural edition last year, they had finished as runners-up after losing to India in the final.
In a statement released by the WCL, the organisers showed respect towards India's decision to withdraw from the semi-final and acknowledged Pakistan’s willingness to play, confirming that the match had been called off and Pakistan Champions would progress to the final.
The statement read: ‘At WCL, we have always believed in the power of sport to inspire and bring about positive change in the world. However, public sentiment must always be respected - after all, everything we do is for our audience. We respect the India Champions' decision to withdraw from the semi-finals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions' readiness to compete. Taking all factors into consideration, the match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions has been called off. As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final.’
Earlier in the evening, PTI reported that Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, among others, had expressed their unwillingness to play the knockout game against Pakistan.
The Indian team took a similar stance earlier in the tournament when they refused to play against Pakistan in the league stage. The tournament organisers later called off the game and apologised to the Indian unit for ‘unintentionally causing discomfort’ to the players.
India were scheduled to face Pakistan in the semi-final of the tournament on Thursday at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. The Mohammad Hafeez-led side qualified for the knockouts after finishing top of the table with four wins in five games in the league stage. India, on the other hand, finished fourth in the group stage and only sealed a semi-final berth after a dominant win over the West Indies Champions, chasing down the target in just 13.2 overs on Tuesday. Prior to that, they had lost all their group-stage matches.
Indian sponsor pulled out of IND vs PAK WCL clash
Earlier, EaseMyTrip, one of the league’s top sponsors, announced that the company would not be associated with the semifinal between India and Pakistan. The decision, shared on social media, was made in the national interest, with company co-founder Nishant Pitti stating that ‘terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand.’
‘We applaud Team India @India_Champions for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you've made the nation proud. However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game, Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand,’ Pitti wrote on his 'X' handle.
‘@EaseMyTrip, we stand with India. We cannot support any event that attempts to normalise relations with a country that promotes terrorism. The people of India have spoken and we hear them. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL.’
