The India Champions team has refused to play their scheduled World Championship of Legends (WCL) semi-final match against Pakistan Champions. The match was slated to take place on Thursday in Birmingham. This decision aligns with the team's earlier stance of not participating in any competitive fixtures against Pakistan.

The Indian team, which includes legends such as Shikhar Dhawan, Irfan Pathan, Harbhajan Singh, Yuvraj Singh, and Suresh Raina, had previously expressed their unwillingness to play against Pakistan during the group stage of the tournament. This initial reluctance followed a terror attack and India's subsequent "Operation Sindoor".

According to reports, if India pulls out of the match, their journey in the six-team tournament will end at fourth place, with one win, one no-result, and three losses. Due to India's refusal to play, Pakistan Champions will advance directly to the final based on their superior finish in the points table at the end of the league stage. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) has been informed about India forfeiting the game.

The decision by the India Champions has garnered mixed reactions. EaseMyTrip, a major sponsor of the WCL, has publicly supported the Indian team's decision, withdrawing its support for the semi-final match. The company stated that it stands with India and cannot support any event that attempts to normalize relations with a country that promotes terrorism. Nishant Pitti, co-founder of EaseMyTrip, emphasized that "nation comes first, business later".

This is not the first time that India has refused to play Pakistan in the WCL 2025. Earlier, a group-stage clash between the two teams was also called off after objections from Indian players and a key tournament sponsor. Several former Indian cricketers, including Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, had also publicly stated their unwillingness to participate in the match.

Despite these instances, the International Cricket Council (ICC) has confirmed that India and Pakistan will meet in the round-robin stage of the ICC Women's Cricket World Cup 2025 on October 5. The two teams are also scheduled to face each other in the group stage of the ICC Women's T20 World Cup 2026 on June 14. To ensure smooth participation, all of Pakistan's fixtures in the 50-over World Cup 2025, including any appearances in the semi-finals and final, will be held in Sri Lanka. This arrangement was agreed upon in December 2024 to ensure that both countries would face each other at neutral venues at future ICC events.