The India vs Pakistan legends match of the second edition of the World Championship of Legends, slated to be held at Edgbaston on Sunday, was cancelled by the organisers after several India Champions stars called for a boycott of their opening contest in the tournament.
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan announced his decision not to feature in the match in Birmingham late on Saturday through social media, owing to the geopolitical conflicts that have arisen post the Pahalgam terror attacks in April this year.
“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 a letter shared on Dhawan’s X handle.
“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.”
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
India and Pakistan had squared off in the final of the inaugural edition of the six-team legends tournament last year in Edgbaston, with the former emerging victorious by five wickets.
Organisers regret hurting sentiments
In the early hours of Sunday, the WCL organisers issued an apology for “causing discomfort” to members of the Indian legends team.
“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-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,” the WCL statement read.
Dear all , pic.twitter.com/ViIlA3ZrLl
— World Championship Of Legends (@WclLeague) July 19, 2025
Harbhajan, Raina, Pathan brothers pull out
Earlier on Saturday, reports had emerged that veteran India stars Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan had also pulled out of the Pakistan match.
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The Indian team for the WCL 2025 season also features Yuvraj Singh, Robin Uthappa, Ambati Rayudu, Stuart Binny, Varun Aaron, and Vinay Kumar, among other retired players.
India Champions WCL 2025 schedule
While India are slotted to play their second match on Tuesday against South Africa Champions in Northampton, Pakistan Champions will play their next fixture on July 25 in Leicester. The Mohammed Hafeez-led side had lost the opening match of the series to England Champions by five runs on Friday.
India Champions fixtures:vs South Africa Champions (July 22), vs Australia Champions (July 26), vs England Champions (July 27), vs West Indies Championns (July 29)
