The World Championship of Legends on Sunday called off the India vs Pakistan match, scheduled for July 20 at Edgbaston, after several Indian legends opted out.
The WCL explained that the India-Pakistan fixture was announced following a recent volleyball match between the two nations, with the hope of creating happy memories for fans. However, they acknowledged that the decision may have unintentionally hurt sentiments and caused discomfort to several Indian legends. In light of this, the match was called off. The WCL also issued an apology for causing any hurt.
The statement “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.”
This was set to be the first India-Pakistan cricket match since the military standoff between the two countries following the Pahalgam terror attack on April 22.
According to a report by India Today, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, and all-rounder Yusuf Pathan were among the first to opt out of the fixture. While the report did not confirm whether their withdrawals were officially communicated, it noted: “It is believed that the Pahalgam attack and its aftermath had a bearing on their decision.” Irfan Pathan also reportedly withdrew from the game.
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan confirmed on May 11 that he would not participate in the match against Pakistan. In a post on X, Dhawan shared an email he had sent to the tournament organisers, stating that the decision was made in light of the prevailing geopolitical situation.
In his post Dhawan said, “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. (I standby the decision I took on May 11. My country is everything for me and nothing is bigger than the country)”