India Champions chose to boycott both their matches v Pakistan Champions in WCL 2025.
The organizers have finally admitted that the players from the two squads did not interact. The official statement claims that neither the semi-final nor the group-stage encounter against Pakistan saw the India Champions take the field.
The event occurred on the same day when Australia faced Pakistan in the group stage and India played the West Indies. While Pakistan was departing following their victory over Australia, the players from India, the reigning champions, were on the field for their match against the West Indies.
The tournament was supposed to feature two meetings between the champions of India and Pakistan. Due to social media outcry, the organizers first canceled their group stage match.
Since the Pahalgam terror assault and Operation Sindoor, there have been increasing calls for India to boycott Pakistan on all fronts.
Due to national sensitivities, the Indian champions later withdrew from the semi-final match against Pakistan. As a result, Pakistan won easily and advanced to the summit matchup with South Africa.
"We are aware of a video currently circulating on social media that misleadingly suggests India Champions players walked off the ground upon seeing a Pakistan Champions player. We wish to categorically clarify that India Champions never entered the field for the scheduled semi-final match, nor for their originally scheduled group-stage match against Pakistan Champions," the organizers said in an official statement.
"The video in question was actually filmed during the India Champions vs. West Indies Champions match, at the moment when the India Champions team was entering the field while the Pakistan Champions team was leaving after their match against the Australia Champions. We confirm that there has been no on-field interaction between the players of the two teams during this year's World Championship of Legends," the statement added.
As they continue to respect the real spirit of cricket and sportsmanship, the tournament organizers also requested spectators to refrain from spreading false information.
"We urge fans and media outlets to refrain from spreading misinformation. The World Championship of Legends remains committed to upholding the true spirit of cricket & sportsmanship," the statement read.
South Africa's champions, under the leadership of AB de Villiers, emerged victorious in the second iteration of the WCL 2025 on Saturday. With nine wickets down and 19 balls remaining, South Africa managed to chase down over 190 runs because of the Proteas captain's spectacular 120 runs off 60 balls.
India's champions defeated Pakistan to win the tournament's first edition.