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India vs Pakistan match cancelled in WCL 2025 as Indian players withdraw: 'Nothing is bigger than the country'
The India vs Pakistan match in World Championship of Legends 2025 was to take place at Edgbaston on Sunday (20 July). Images: WCL on X
The India vs Pakistan match at the World Championship of Legends 2025, which was to take place at Edgbaston on Sunday (20 July), has been cancelled by the organisers as they apologised for 'hurting the feelings' and 'stirring' emotions. The match was to feature some of the biggest cricketing stars from past India and Pakistan teams who have now retired from the game, including Yuvraj Singh, Shahid Afridi, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, among others.
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The upcoming India-Pakistan game at WCL 2025 was already facing heavy criticism from Indian cricket fans, who called out former Indian legends like Shikhar Dhawan and Yuvraj Singh for alleged "fake acting" during the recent border conflict between the two nations, but later agreed to play in the match.
The WCL organisers on Sunday early morning announced that they wanted to create 'happy moments' with the match as sporting ties between the two countries had already resumed, but have now decided to call it off as it led to 'discomfort' for Indian cricket legends.
Former India opener Shikhar Dhawan had already announced on social media that he had pulled out of the match against Pakistan, while media reports stated that Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan and Irfan Pathan had also withdrawn from the WCL game.
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
'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 still stand by the step I took on 11 May. My country is everything for me and nothing is bigger than the nation,' Dhawan wrote on X.
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WCL's full statement on cancellation of India vs Pakistan match:
'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,' the WCL said in a statement on X.
Dear all , pic.twitter.com/ViIlA3ZrLl — World Championship Of Legends (@WclLeague) July 19, 2025
'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.'
The India vs Pakistan match in World Championship of Legends 2025 was to be the first cricket contest between the two nations since the ghastly Pahalgam terror attack in April 2025, in which 26 people were killed, leading to retaliatory attacks on terror camps by India, which was named Operation Sindoor.
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