India Champions decided to give Pakistan Champions a walkover as the two teams were supposed to square off in the semi-final game of the ongoing World Championship of Legends 2025.
India Champions have remained firm on their stand to not feature against Pakistan, since the retired veterans do not abide by any norms set by the BCCI or the Indian government; their denial cannot be imposed as a threat to India’s 2036 Olympics plans.
After the treacherous attacks on the Pahalgam valley by some militants who were supposed to be aided by Pakistani sources, India raged a war-like situation against the neighbouring nation. This was launched as Operation Sindoor, signifying justice for people killed in the attacks.
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India Champions pull out of WCL semi-final; Shahid Afridi glares at the Indian team
India Champions refused to play their semi-final against Pakistan Champions in the World Championship of Legends owing to the aftermath of the political strains between the two nations. The match was once again scheduled to be played at Birmingham on Thursday, that is, the 31st of July.
As a result of this refusal, the authorities will treat this as a walkover handed by the India Champions; hence, the Pakistan Champions will qualify directly into the finals of the competition and will play against the winner of the second semi-final between the Australian Champions and the South African Champions.
After the incident, when the India Champions players left the field with a broad smile on their face and they were portraying patriotism, they were stared at by Shahid Afridi from the balcony.
Watch the incident unfold here:
Hero Shahid Afridi watching from balcony as India make exit from WCL 2025 and Pakistan directly reached the final!! #BoomBoom pic.twitter.com/iG79RoNOyS
— Usman Satti (@usmansatti476) July 30, 2025
Previously, it was cited that Shahid Afridi was among the core reasons that India denied playing against the team, as the former skipper had issued some derogatory remarks on the Indian army and their valor.
India Champions denied playing Pakistan early in WCL 2025 opener
The India Champions had earlier refused to play against the Pakistan Champions on another occasion, in their first league game, as the defending champions were supposed to kickstart their campaign against the arch-rivals.
Several players, like skipper Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, and the Pathan brothers, had all denied playing against Pakistan, while Shikhar Dhawan made it official with an e-mail to the authorities regarding his decision.
As a result of this, they called off the group stage match, and the two teams shared a point each, while the event organisers have also confirmed a return of 50% of the ticket price for the semi-final match.
The defending champions walk out of the ground with a broad smile on their faces.
Scenario if India boycotts the Asia Cup match against Pakistan
The Indian and Pakistani international sides are supposed to play against each other in the upcoming Asia Cup 2025, in the group stage match that has been scheduled on the 14th of September in the UAE.
If India declines to play the game against Pakistan in the Asia Cup 2025, the match will be considered a forfeit, as the tournament is being managed by the ACC, the Asian Cricket Council.
This means Pakistan would be announced as the winners and handed the winning points without playing the match. So if the Indians decide to boycott, they will have to treat one game as a loss in their Asia Cup campaign.
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