Latest news with #WCLLeague
NDTV
3 days ago
- Sport
- NDTV
"Asking Question At Wrong Time": Shikhar Dhawan Loses Cool At Reporter On India vs Pak Stand
Despite making his stance on India vs Pakistan matches in the World Championship of Legends tournament, Shikhar Dhawan was once again asked for his stand if the two teams square off in the semi-finals. Dhawan pulled out of the contest against Pakistan, along with a number of other Indian players like Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, etc. The match was called off but, there still remains a possibility of India and Pakistan squaring off against each other in a potential semi-final. When Dhawan was asked if his stand on the matter would remain the same in the semi-finals, the left-handed opening batter lost his cool at the reporter, saying such a question shouldn't have been asked. "You're asking this question at the wrong time and place - you shouldn't have asked it. And even if I didn't play earlier, I still won't play now," Dhawan said. Shikhar Dhawan angry reply on If Pakistan reaches the semi-final against you… will you still play, or ask for a day off? #WCL25 — Ahtasham Riaz (@ahtashamriaz22) July 26, 2025 Earlier, when the India vs Pakistan match in the league stage of the tournament was abandoned, a statement confirmed that Dhawan has ruled him out of any clash against Pakistan in the WCL, no matter if it comes in the semi-final or the final. "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," read his statement. The WCL, after cancelling the Indo-Pak contest, apologised for hurting sentiments by scheduling an India vs Pakistan match despite the recent Pahalgam tragedy. "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. "But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions," the WCL statement read.
Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Sport
- Hindustan Times
Shikhar Dhawan sets record straight on playing if India face Pakistan in WCL 2025 semis: 'You shouldn't have asked this'
India Champions batter Shikhar Dhawan opened up about whether he would participate in the match against Pakistan Champions if the two faced each other in the semifinal round of the ongoing second season of World Championship of Legends in Birmingham. Dhawan's comment came exactly a week after India pulled out of their league fixture against Pakistan, leaving the organisers to cancel the game. Shikhar Dhawan is part of India Champions side in WCL 2025 Last Sunday, India Champions were to face Pakistan Champions in a highly anticipated clash at Edgbaston. It was also a repeat of last season's finale, where India won to lift the inaugural WCL title. However, several players pulled out of the match, citing the current geopolitical scenario between the two nations in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22 this year. WCL then called off the clash and apologised to the Indian unit for "unintentionally causing discomfort." A week after India's narrow loss to Australia, Shikhar Dhawan was asked if he would play against Pakistan Champions in a potential semifinal. The veteran batter firmly ruled out the possibility. "You're asking this question at the wrong time and place — you shouldn't have asked it. And even if I didn't play earlier, I still won't play now," Dhawan was quoted by Geo News. As it stands, India are less likely to face Pakistan in the knockouts unless they win their remaining two matches—against England and the West Indies. The defending champions currently sit at the bottom of the table with two defeats from three games and have yet to open their accounts this season. Pakistan are placed second after a hat-trick of wins. They will play their final game against Australia. What happened last Sunday in WCL 2025? Earlier last week, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan, and Yusuf Pathan were among the first to pull out of the league game against Pakistan Champions, although there was no official confirmation about it. The first official confirmation of a player withdrawal came in the early hours of Monday, when Dhawan shared a statement on X, making it clear that he had taken the call due to the current "geopolitical" situation between India and Pakistan. "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," read his statement. After as many as six Indian players pulled out of the game, the organisers were left with no choice but to cancel the match. "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. "But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions," the WCL statement read.
News18
3 days ago
- Sport
- News18
Will Dhawan Play If India Face Pakistan In WCL Semis? Star Batter Makes Big Statement
Last Updated: Shikhar Dhawan won't play against Pakistan in the Legends World Championship semifinals because of the Pahalgam attack and strained India-Pakistan relations. Former India cricketer Shikhar Dhawan has said that a question regarding India playing Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends is wrongly timed and if he didn't play the league stage game and boycotted it, he would do the same if the two teams faced off in the semifinals. The India Champions were all set to take on the Pakistan Champions in a much-anticipated showdown at Edgbaston on Sunday, July 20. It was a rematch of last season's final as well, where India emerged victorious to claim the inaugural World Championship of Legends title. Eventually, it was called off after massive backlash on social media against the Indian team, three months after the Pahalgam attack. A week after that incident, Dhawan was asked whether he would feature against Pakistan in a possible semifinal. As things stand, India might not face Pakistan in the knockouts unless they win both of their remaining games, against England and the Windies. India are at the bottom of the table, having suffered two defeats in their first three games and still searching for their first victory of the season. Pakistan sit in second place after bagging three successive wins. After a terror attack in Pahalgam in April that claimed 26 lives, India launched a military operation targeting terrorist infrastructure in both Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Since then, the relationship between India and Pakistan has soured to unimaginable levels. Dhawan revealed that he had informed the World Championship of Legends organisers of his decision back in May. 'This is to formally reiterate that Mr Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League. This discussion was communicated earlier during our discussion on call and WhatsApp dated 11th May 2025," Dhawan shared a screenshot of his statement. view comments First Published: Disclaimer: Comments reflect users' views, not News18's. Please keep discussions respectful and constructive. Abusive, defamatory, or illegal comments will be removed. News18 may disable any comment at its discretion. By posting, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.
News18
22-07-2025
- Sport
- News18
'India Backed Out': Pakistan Champions Refuse To Share Points After WCL Match Called Off
After a dastardly terror attack in Pahalgam earlier this year that left 26 dead, India conducted a military operation targeting terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (PoK). Thanks to the prevailing 'geopolitical situation and prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan", Dhawan, in a statement, said he won't be participating in the match. Eventually, the match, slated to be held on Sunday (July 20) was called off. WCL says that the Indian Champions team wasn't at fault for the match not going ahead. 'WCL have conveyed to England and Wales Cricket Board that they, as organisers, were not able to conduct this match. The India Champions team are not at fault. Pakistan Champions team are not willing to share points because they are saying that it is India who backed out, not them," ANI quoted a source as saying. The second edition of WCL got underway last week with Pakistan beating England by five runs. India, led by Yuvraj Singh, were to open their campaign against Pakistan. They will take the field for the first time this edition against South Africa tonight. Dhawan's Statement On Not Playing Against Pakistan Former India opener Dhawan said he had already communicated his decision with the WCL organisers in May this year. 'This is to formally reiterate that Mr Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League. This discussion was communicated earlier during our discussion on call and WhatsApp dated 11th May 2025," Dhawan shared a screenshot of his statement. 'In view of our current geopolitical situation and 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," it added. What Happens If India And Pakistan Reach WCL Knockouts? In the scenario of both India and Pakistan reaching WCL semifinals, an official claims that a clash between the two teams will be avoided. 'As for the semifinals and final, we're currently saying that if we make it to the semifinals, there will be four teams, and we will avoid matches between the two teams," Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan told GeoNews. However, there's no clarity on what happens if they reach the title clash as was the case last season when India won the competition. Kamil also claimed Pakistan Champions should be awarded two points for the abandoned fixture with India. 'And as for this match, the two points will be awarded to us, and we deserve those points as per the rules," he said.
NDTV
20-07-2025
- Sport
- NDTV
Why Was India vs Pakistan World Championship Of Legends 2025 Match Cancelled
A veterans' cricket match in Birmingham involving India and Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends was cancelled after Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, refused to be a part of it citing the Pahalgam terror attack in April. The second edition of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) tournament, which is co-owned by Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, started on June 18 at Edgbaston here and is scheduled for an August 2 final. World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh is the captain of the India Champions, while the squad also features the likes of Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Varun Aaron among others. The WCL organisers shared a statement on their X account, detailing the decision of cancellation and said their intention while conducting the match was to recreate some "happy memories." "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. "But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions," the WCL statement read. The Pakistan team has in its ranks captain Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal among a host of yesteryear players. The organisers also apologised for "unintentionally causing discomfort" to Indian legends. "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," it read. Former India opener Dhawan also shared a statement on X, announcing his stand not to participate in the match against Pakistan. "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," read his statement. Dhawan made it clear that he has taken the call in view of the current "geopolitical" situation between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of Pahalgam terror attack and the ensuing Operation Sindoor carried out by the country. Operation Sindoor had led to a brief military showdown between the two arch foes before India agreed to halt its operations on Pakistan's request for a cease fire. "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 said in the statement. Off-spin legend Harbhajan, a sitting Rajya Sabha MP, Yusuf, who is also a Member of Parliament, and Irfan too have conveyed their decision to boycott the match against Pakistan, though they are yet to issue a statement in this regard. The players received a lot of flak on social media for agreeing to the play against the Pakistan team. India had defeated Pakistan by five wickets to win the inaugural edition of the six-team legends tournament last year in Edgbaston. While India does not engage with Pakistan in any bilateral sporting activities because of the existing geopolitical scenario, the two nations often meet each other at various levels of competitions featuring Olympic sports. In fact, the Indian government has given its approval for Pakistan's participation in several major events to be hosted in India this year, including the Hockey Asia Cup (August), Junior Hockey World Cup (November–December), Junior Shooting World Cup (September), and the World Para Athletics Championships (October). The reason being that any move to block Pakistan, in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 tourists, would have been a violation of the Olympic charter, which is like a constitution for the Olympic Movement. Rule 44 of the Charter specifically prohibits National Olympic Committees from excluding athletes based on "racial, religious or political reasons". Failure to grant visas can lead to "international isolation and loss of hosting rights for future events." In cricket, India and Pakistan do not engage in bilateral series, limiting their face-offs to global ICC events such as the World Cup and Champions Trophy. A hybrid hosting model was introduced during this year's Champions Trophy, under which India played its matches at a neutral venue — Dubai — while the rest of the tournament was held in Pakistan. Following that precedent, Pakistan will play all its matches in Colombo during the Women's ODI World Cup this year. The tournament is being co-hosted by India and Sri Lanka. However, the men's Asia Cup, tentatively set for September in the T20 format, remains in uncertainty as venue for the India-Pakistan clash is yet to be identified. The BCCI has said unequivocally that it will not attend the Asian Cricket Council meeting, intended to thrash out a working model, if it is held in Dhaka.
