WCL cancels match between India and Pakistan after Indian stars boycott game

Birmingham: A veterans’ cricket match involving India and Pakistan in the World Championship of Legends here on Sunday has been 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 tournament started on June 18 at Edgbaston and is scheduled for an August 2 final. World Cup winner Yuvraj Singh is the captain of the India legends, while the squad also features the likes of Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Varun Aaron among others.

WCL organisers issue statement

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 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 Shikhar 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.

“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.

India had defeated Pakistan by five wickets to win the inaugural edition of the six-team legends tournament last year in Edgbaston.

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