Pakistan-India ‘World Championship of Legends' cricket match called off amid tensions

Arab News

3 days ago

ISLAMABAD: A match between veteran cricket stars from India and Pakistan as part of the 'World Championship of Legends (WCL)' tournament was called off on Sunday, the league announced after Indian players withdrew due to political tensions between Islamabad and New Delhi.
Sporting ties between arch-rivals India and Pakistan have remained limited due to political tensions between the two countries. Both countries engaged in the worst fighting between them in decades in May this year before a ceasefire was brokered by Washington on May 10.
The WCL is a T20 tournament approved by the England & Wales Cricket Board (ECB) h in England every year. The WCL features retired and non-contracted players from cricketing giants, including England, India, Pakistan, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa.
In a statement released on its social media accounts, the WCL said it had decided to hold the India-Pakistan match in Birmingham after news that the Pakistan hockey team will be coming to India this year, and witnessing the recent India vs Pakistan under-16 volleyball match in Thailand.
'But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions,' the WCL's message read.
'More than that, we unintentionally caused discomfort to our Indian Cricket Legends, who have brought so much glory to the country, and we ended up affecting the brands who supported us purely out of love for the game.'
WCL said it was due to these reasons it had decided to call off the match.
'We sincerely apologize 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,' it concluded.
The league's owners include its founder, Indian entrepreneur Harshit Tomar and Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn.
The statement came hours after Indian cricketer Shikhar Dhawan wrote on X that he was withdrawing from India's WCL matches with Pakistan.
'My country is everything for me and nothing is worth more than that,' he wrote.
Jo kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar kuch nahi hota.
Jai Hind! pic.twitter.com/gLCwEXcrnR
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) July 19, 2025
The second edition of the WCL started on July 18 in Birmingham and has seen three matches played so far. Pakistan played the opening game of the tournament but Sunday's clash was going to be India's first.
Former Indian batter Yuvraj Singh is leading the India side while ex-Pakistan captain Mohammad Hafeez is leading the green shirts.