What is cricket's World Championship of Legends, which saw the Ind vs Pak match cancelled?
Several Indian players, including Harbhajan Singh and the Pathan brothers, were reported to have announced their withdrawal in the lead-up. While Shikhar Dhawan shared his formal communication of withdrawal on his X account, Yuvraj Singh and Suresh Raina reposted a message from the WCL sponsor and the Indian travel bookings website, EaseMyTrip.
'Despite entering into a 5-year sponsorship agreement with the World Championship of Legends (WCL) two years ago, our stance has always been clear—EaseMyTrip will not be associated with or participate in any WCL match involving Pakistan… as a matter of principle, we do not support or promote any match that includes Pakistan', the post said.
Here is what to know about the tournament in question.
This is the second edition of the WCL, with India winning the inaugural league last year in the final against Pakistan. It has been described as a 'showcase of retired and non-contracted players from cricketing giants, including England, India, Pakistan, Australia, West Indies, and South Africa' on its website.
Some of the cricketers participating this year are West Indies' player Chris Gayle, South Africa's AB de Villiers, Australia's Brett Lee, Pakistan's Shahid Afridi and England's Kevin Pietersen.
Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn and musician Harshit Tomar own the WCL. This year, it will feature matches in four UK cities: Birmingham, Northampton, Leeds, and Leicester. The now-cancelled India vs Pakistan match had tickets beginning from £24 (Rs 2,772), with the VIP experience priced at £186 (Rs 21,490).
The idea of a tournament featuring former pro players isn't novel; other matches and series have also been held in the past. A decade ago, a Twenty20 exhibition series was held in the United States at three baseball stadiums, with teams led by Sachin Tendulkar and the late Shane Warne.
Just this year, another series called the International Masters League had its inaugural season in India. It was co-founded by Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar.
What did the organisers say about the cancellation?
In a post on X, the WCL said, '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.'
They added, '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. Hence, we have decided to call off the India-Pakistan match. 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.'
There is no official policy on retired Indian players playing Pakistani teams at such events, and it also poses questions about the latter part of the tournament, where the two teams might meet in the semi-finals or the final. The decision likely stemmed from the players and organisers' views, as well as the prevailing public opinion in India. However, several sporting events have seen the repercussions of the larger diplomatic tensions between the countries of late.
Earlier this month, it was learnt that India will allow Pakistani players to visit the country to participate in non-bilateral events. An Indian sporting official said, 'While India won't be involved in the bilateral engagement with Pakistan, we won't be stopping them from participating in the multi-national tournaments India is hosting.'
This may not necessarily mean that Pakistan's cricketers will travel to India, as the two countries have mutually decided to play at neutral venues until 2027.
The last Indian team to cross the border for cricket was M S Dhoni's side that played the Asia Cup in June-July 2008, a few months before the 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks ended such tours. While Pakistan came to India for the 50-over World Cup in 2023, India played the Asia Cup matches in Sri Lanka. India also played its ICC Champions tournament matches earlier this year in Dubai, since Pakistan hosted the event.
Amid strained ties, the two countries haven't held a bilateral series since 2013, only playing at multi-team events. That period has also seen the rise of Indian cricket and the decline of Pakistan. The country has also been shut out from the biggest money-spinning tournament in the sport, the Indian Premier League, after the inaugural 2008 season.
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