India Boycotts Pakistan Clash After Asia Cup 2025 Schedule Release

The 2025 edition of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) has reached its knockout stage, with four teams, India Champions, Pakistan Champions, Australia Champions and South Africa Champions qualifying for the semi-finals. The tournament is renowned for its battles between retired players and cricket legends from around the world, all competing in a competitive format.

Featuring a league stage and Knockout format games, WCL 2025 has given some of the thrilling and exciting games throughout the season so far.
One of the most anticipated group stage matches between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions was cancelled due to political tensions. It was scheduled as the opening match for the India Champions, while Pakistan had already played their first game against the England Champions and won by five runs.

Why was IND-PAK Match Cancelled in WCL 2025 Group Stage?

Before the IND vs PAK WCL 2025 semifinal, several Indian Players, including Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, and Yusuf Pathan, withdrew from the match citing the national sentiments after the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.

As a result, the WCL committee officially cancelled the fixture, and as per the tournament’s rules, both teams were awarded one point each. But now, after India’s qualification, there is a question hanging over the India-Pakistan Semi-final Match, due to what happened earlier. Will the match be played, or will the match end up being cancelled?

India vs Pakistan WCL 2025 Semifinal Match Cancelled

According to the reports, the highly anticipated semifinal clash between the India Champions and Pakistan Champions at the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 has been cancelled after Indian players once again after the Indian players refused to take the field against their arch-rivals. This marks the second boycott incident in the tournament, as India had earlier pulled out of their group stage match.

Citing national interest over sport, key Indian players from the camp, including Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Suresh Raina, stood firm on their decision not to engage in any cricketing ties with Pakistan. The WCL has released an official statement, which says that India Champions have officially withdrawn from the tournament.

Not just sponsors and the public, but the Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan has also made his position clear. In his recent interaction, when asked about the possibility of facing Pakistan in a semi-final match, he expressed his disapproval and stated, “You're asking this question at the wrong time and place - you shouldn't have asked it. And as I didn't play earlier, I still won't play now.”

Pakistan Champions Advance to Final

With the India Champions boycotting the semifinal, the Pakistan Champions have advance to the final. Pakistan topped the points table with nine points from five matches. Despite winning just one match, India Champions qualified for the knockouts based on a better net run rate and a recent win over the West Indies Champions.

While there was speculation that fifth-placed England Champions might be slotted into the semifinal as a replacement, no such official announcement has been made. As a result, Pakistan have moved directly into the final, where they await the winner of the other semifinal between South Africa and Australia. As a privately held tournament, the WCL’s rules grant organisers flexibility, but with India’s withdrawal standing firm, the road to the final was clear for Pakistan.

Given the repeated statements from players and the withdrawal of sponsors, the match between India Champions and Pakistan Champions was always unlikely. It is to be noted that India Champions are also the defending champions of the title, having defeated Pakistan Champions in the final during the inaugural edition of the tournament.