India Champions refused to play Pakistan team in WCL 2025 semis, forfeiting the game.
The Indian team's choice was made in response to the Pahalgam terrorist assault and the deteriorating political ties between India and Pakistan. There were questions about whether the Indian squad would continue to refuse to play against Pakistan in the semifinals after first refusing to do so during the league stage of the competition.
However, as soon as the semifinal schedule was set, the India Champions squad made it obvious that they would not play the Shahid Afridi-led team, regardless of the situation.
After reaching the semi-final, Afridi had made a provocative statement, saying, "Pata nahi ab kis muh se khelga par khelega hamare sath hi (Don't know from which face India will play, but they will have to play against us only)."
Afridi's remark, however, backfired because the Indian champions would have rather quit the competition than face the Pakistan champions.
Following India's withdrawal from the contest, Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, and other team members departed the stadium, as a defenseless Shahid Afridi watched from the balcony. The footage went viral on social media.
Since the WCL 2025 semi-final is a knockout match, Afridi assumed that India would have no choice but to play them. However, the Yuvraj Singh-led squad chose to leave with a high profile rather than face Pakistan.
After defeating the West Indies Champions in their last game, the Indian Champions advanced to the semifinals.
"We respect the India Champions' decision to withdraw from the semifinals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions' readiness to compete. Taking all factors into consideration, the match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions has been called off. As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final," the official statement read.
The organizers of WCL said, though they have always believed in the power of sport to bring about positive change in the world, they realize that "public sentiment must always be respected—after all, everything we do is for our audience."
(IANS inputs)