WCL cancels India-Pakistan legends match after Indian stars boycott
text_fields
Birmingham: The highly anticipated veterans’ cricket match between India and Pakistan, scheduled to be held this Sunday as part of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) in Birmingham, has been cancelled after several Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, refused to participate, citing the Pahalgam terror attack that occurred in April.
The second edition of the WCL began on June 18 at Edgbaston, with the final scheduled for August 2. The India Legends team is captained by World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh and includes prominent names such as Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, and Varun Aaron.
In a statement released on their official X account, the WCL organisers confirmed the cancellation of the India-Pakistan match and explained the intent behind scheduling the fixture. They stated that the idea was to recreate "happy memories" for fans, inspired by recent sports engagements between the two countries, such as the Pakistan hockey team’s tour to India and a volleyball match between the two sides.
"After hearing the news that the Pakistan hockey team will be coming to India this year, and seeing the recent India vs Pakistan volleyball match along with a few other fixtures between the two nations in different sports, we thought of continuing with the India vs Pakistan match at WCL, just to create some happy memories for people around the globe," the organisers said.
However, they acknowledged that the decision may have hurt sentiments and stirred strong emotions, prompting the cancellation. "But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions," the statement read. The organisers also issued an apology to the Indian players, saying, "We sincerely apologise again for hurting the sentiments and hope people will understand that all we ever wanted was to bring a few happy moments to the fans."
Shikhar Dhawan, a former India opener and a member of the India Legends squad, issued his own statement on X, confirming that he would not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team during the tournament. "This is to formally reiterate and confirm that Mr. Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League. This decision was communicated earlier during our discussion on call and WhatsApp dated 11th May 2025," the statement read.
Dhawan clarified that the decision was made after careful consideration of the current geopolitical situation between India and Pakistan, particularly following the Pahalgam terror attack and the subsequent Operation Sindoor launched by India. "In view of the current geopolitical situation and the prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan, Mr. Dhawan and his team have taken this position after due consideration. We respectfully request the league's understanding and cooperation on this matter," he added.
India had defeated Pakistan by five wickets to clinch the title in the inaugural edition of the six-team legends tournament held last year at Edgbaston.
With PTI inputs
