A veterans’ clash between India Champions and Pakistan Champions at the World Championship of Legends (WCL) has been called off after the Indian side declined to take the field in Birmingham on Sunday.
Tournament organisers confirmed the cancellation late on Saturday, saying they would not proceed if they had “unintentionally caused discomfort to our Indian Cricket Legends.” The fixture would have been India’s opening match of this year’s event; Pakistan had already featured in the tournament’s curtain-raiser on 18 July.
Shikhar Dhawan, one of India’s marquee names, made his position public on X: “This is to formally reiterate that Mr Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League… In view of our current geopolitical situation and prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan, Mr Dhawan and his team have taken this position after due consideration.”
India’s concerns stem from heightened cross-border tensions since the Pahalgam terror attack in April, an incident that also led to temporary suspensions in both the IPL and PSL. Organisers had hoped a neutral-venue exhibition in England might ease sensitivities, noting recent junior-level hockey and volleyball encounters between the two nations. That optimism proved misplaced.
Yuvraj Singh remains captain of the India Champions squad, with Mohammad Hafeez leading Pakistan Champions. Neither player has commented publicly, though several team-mates privately expressed disappointment at losing a rare chance to compete against familiar rivals.
The second WCL edition runs across Birmingham, Northampton, Leicester and Leeds. Six teams—Australia, South Africa, England, West Indies and the two South Asian sides—play each other once before the top four progress to semi-finals on 31 July, followed by the final on 2 August.
Tournament director Paul Millman admitted the schedule could yet throw up an India-Pakistan knockout. “We’ll cross that bridge if we get to it,” he said, adding that the league would respect any future reservation from the Indian camp.
From a competitive standpoint, India now face a congested itinerary, with five group matches to squeeze into a reduced window. Pakistan, meanwhile, lose a high-profile contest that would have boosted ticket sales and television numbers.
Geopolitical realities continue to cast a long shadow over cricketing ties between the neighbours. Sunday’s cancellation is a reminder that, even at veterans’ level and thousands of miles from home, diplomatic tensions remain difficult to ignore.
