Updated 20 July 2025 at 12:12 IST
World Championship of Legends 2025| Match Between India And Pakistan Called Off After Players Pull Out: 'Desh Se Badhkar Kuch Nahi Hota'
After severe backlash, the World Championship of Legends match between India and Pakistan has been officially called off. The match was scheduled to be held on July 20.
The World Championship of Legends match between India and Pakistan has been officially called off. Several Indian players, including the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan pulled out of the game after severe public outrage.
WCL Issue Statement After India vs Pakistan Called Off
Tensions between the two countries have escalated in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. WCL issued a statement apologising for unintentionally hurting the sentiments of people.
"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."
People Registered Severe Backlash On Social media
There was widespread public outrage over the Indo-Pak match and the likes of Shahid Afridi who made a controversial statement against India, were poised to play the match.
Shikhar Dhawan took to X (Formerly Twitter) as he posted an image to let the people know he withdrew from the match, citing that the country is bigger than anything.
"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!"
The WCL 2025, which has been approved by the England and Wales Cricket Board, would bring together the legends of all major cricketing nations in a summer spectacular that will take place in Birmingham, Northampton, Leicester, and Leeds from July 18 to August 2.
Published By : Anirban Sarkar
Published On: 20 July 2025 at 11:00 IST