Sharjah: Pakistan has created a fresh controversy in the T20 World Championship of Legends (WCL) being played here, pulling out of the tournament and wrongly blaming India for its decision. The Pakistan Champions squad included players such as Shahid Afridi, Sohail Tanvir, Mohammad Hafeez, Asif Ali, Wahab Riaz, Kamran Akmal and Mohammad Amir.
Following the 2025 terrorist attack on Hindu tourists in Pahalgam, India had refused to play against Pakistani cricketers in the tournament and forfeited both its league match and semi-final against Pakistan. India took a firm stand on the issue, exposing Pakistan and its cricket board before the world. Shocked by that move, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) began this year’s tournament with another controversy. Pakistan’s opening match against Bangladesh was not played due to technical reasons, but the PCB later issued No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) to its players to participate in the third season of the WCL, while demanding that Indian players apologise for boycotting the Pakistan team last year if Pakistan was to participate this time.
However, the WCL management rejected the PCB’s demand, following which the PCB informed the organisers that it was withdrawing its team from the tournament.
In last year’s WCL, India’s decision to forfeit the semi-final handed Pakistan a direct entry into the final. Pakistan, however, lost the final to South Africa.
How Has India Performed This Time?
The third season of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) is currently underway. In their opening match, India Champions scored 196 for seven in 20 overs, powered by captain Yuvraj Singh’s impressive 71 off 44 balls, including six sixes and five fours. Australia Champions, led by Usman Khawaja, were bowled out for 150, giving India Champions a 46-run victory. Other batters in the Indian team include Naman Ojha, Ambati Rayudu, Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan.
Dhaval Kulkarni took four wickets, Mohit Sharma claimed three, Piyush Chawla picked up two and Harbhajan Singh took one wicket. After this match, South Africa Champions, led by AB de Villiers, defeated Chris Gayle’s West Indies Champions, while Ravi Bopara’s England Champions defeated Yuvraj Singh’s India Champions. Following Pakistan’s withdrawal, its Monday match against Australia Champions was cancelled. India Champions will now play their next match against South Africa Champions on Saturday.
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