India Champions Refuse to Play Pakistan; WCL 2025 Match Cancelled

The World Championships of Legends (WCL) semifinal match between India Champions and Pakistan Champions has been cancelled after the Indian team decided not to play.

The Indian players had earlier skipped their group match against Pakistan too. They said they could not play because of Pakistan’s support to terrorism, including its connection to the recent Pahalgam terror attack. The team informed the organisers on Wednesday that they would not play the semifinal either, due to public pressure and strong emotions across India.

India Champions had made it to the semifinals after defeating the West Indies Champions in their last game.

The tournament organisers said in a statement, “We understand and respect India Champions’ decision to withdraw. We also appreciate that Pakistan Champions were ready to play. Considering all factors, we have decided to cancel the semifinal match between India and Pakistan.”

With this decision, Pakistan Champions will now go straight to the final.

The organisers added that while they always believed that sports could help bring people together, they also understand the public mood, which must be honoured, since fans are the most important part of the game.

Well-known Indian players like Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan were among those who refused to play the match against Pakistan.

Earlier this month, some Indian players had already said they would not take part in the group stage match against Pakistan in Birmingham, which was also later cancelled. Now, this issue has continued into the knockout round.

Despite the controversy, the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions had shown a great comeback in the tournament. After losing three of their first four matches, they made a strong return by chasing down 145 runs in just 13.2 overs against West Indies Champions. In that match, Stuart Binny scored a quick 50 runs off just 21 balls, helping the team reach the semifinal.