The World Championship of Legends (WCL 2025) match on July 20, 2025, between India Champions and Pakistan Champions in Birmingham was cancelled. Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, and Yusuf Pathan, among others, declined to participate because of the "current geopolitical situation and prevailing tensions" between the two countries.
Cross-border tensions had risen between India and Pakistan following the Pahalgam terror assault in India in April, which resulted in the temporary suspension of the IPL and PSL.
Even though the WCL organizers stated in a statement that they had planned this match in the tournament, which also includes teams from Australia, South Africa, England, and the West Indies, they cancelled the game after learning that the Pakistan hockey team will be touring India this year and seeing a recent volleyball match between the two nations' Under-16 sides, claiming that they had "unintentionally caused discomfort to our Indian Cricket Legends."
And now, Kamil Khan, owner of Pakistan Legends, took to social media and posted an official statement regarding the match being called off. The statement expressed extreme disappointment and stated that the decision by the Indian Champions to pull out undermined the spirit of the game and let down the cricket fans.
"On behalf of Pakistan Champions, we express our deep disappointment over WCL's decision to call off the match against India. This decision not only undermines the spirit of the game but has let down cricket fans across the globe. We believe cricket should rise above and transcend political differences. Sport has the unique power to unite, and our participation in this tournament is rooted in a commitment to peace, positivity, and the genuine spirit of the game.
Despite this setback, we will continue with the same passion, discipline, and professionalism that define our team. We remain proud ambassadors of our country and are committed to representing Pakistan with honour and integrity. Finally, we appreciate the difficult position the tournament organisers have been placed in during this unfortunate development and would like to extend our sincere gratitude to them for their tireless efforts in trying to resolve the situation and uphold the integrity of the tournament,” the statement read.
The Pakistan Champions team, led by Mohammad Hafeez, includes cricket legends like Shoaib Malik, Shahid Afridi, and Wahab Riaz. They won their first WCL match against England Champions on July 18, 2025.
