The much-anticipated World Championship of Legends (WCL) match between India and Pakistan, scheduled for today in Birmingham, has been cancelled after several Indian players refused to play against Pakistan.
Although the WCL is a tournament for retired international cricketers, the political tensions that have kept bilateral cricket between India and Pakistan on hold have now extended to this competition as well. The two nations only face each other in ACC or ICC events, and this Legends match was set to be a rare high-profile encounter.
The second edition of the WCL began on 18 July in England, with matches being held at four venues. Six teams are taking part: India, Pakistan, England, Australia, South Africa and the West Indies. The tournament features 18 matches and will run until 2 August. In the opening fixture on Friday, Pakistan defeated England by five runs in a thrilling contest involving Shahid Afridi and Mohammad Hafeez for Pakistan, and Eoin Morgan and Alastair Cook for England.
Today’s match at Edgbaston was supposed to be India’s first of the tournament and Pakistan’s second. However, the Indian team could not be fielded after at least five players refused to participate. Among them were Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan, all of whom informed the organisers they were unwilling to play against Pakistan.
Their withdrawal appears to be in response to political tensions reignited after an attack in April that killed 26 people in Pahalgam, located in Indian-administered Kashmir. That incident led to a military response and public calls in India to sever all sporting ties with Pakistan. While the controversy had settled in recent weeks, the announcement of the India–Pakistan match brought the issue back into focus.
Indian news outlet India Today reported that Dhawan, Raina, Harbhajan and Yusuf Pathan had withdrawn earlier in the week. On Saturday night, Dhawan publicly confirmed his decision in a letter posted on X (formerly Twitter):
“Dear Team,
I trust this email finds you well.
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.
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.
Should you require any further information or clarification, please do not hesitate to reach out.”
Jo kadam 11 May ko liya, uspe aaj bhi waise hi khada hoon. Mera desh mere liye sab kuch hai, aur desh se badhkar kuch nahi hota.
Jai Hind! 🇮🇳 pic.twitter.com/gLCwEXcrnR
— Shikhar Dhawan (@SDhawan25) July 19, 2025
Shortly afterwards, RevzSport reported that Irfan Pathan had also opted out of the game.
With the team depleted by the withdrawals, WCL organisers had no option but to cancel the fixture. In a statement, the organisers said:
“We at WCL have always cherished and loved cricket, and our only aim has been to give fans some good, happy moments.
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.
More than that, we unintentionally caused discomfort to our Indian Cricket Legends, who have brought so much glory to the country, and we ended up affecting the brands who supported us purely out of love for the game.
Hence, we have decided to call off the India vs 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.”
Dear all , pic.twitter.com/ViIlA3ZrLl
— World Championship Of Legends (@WclLeague) July 19, 2025