In a significant move, the India Champions have withdrawn from their scheduled semifinal clash against the Pakistan Champions in the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. The decision follows their earlier stance of refusing to play Pakistan during the group stage of the tournament.

Top Indian cricket legends such as Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, and Suresh Raina reportedly opposed participating in the July 20 fixture. According to NDTV Sports, the latest development also stems from widespread criticism of the BCCI on social media after India’s Asia Cup 2025 schedule was announced.

Political Strain and Public Backlash Intensify the Situation

Diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan have further deteriorated following the Pahalgam terror attacks and India’s subsequent military response, codenamed Operation Sindoor. These developments have fueled public outrage and intensified scrutiny over cricketing ties between the two countries.

One major fallout of the situation has been the withdrawal of EaseMyTrip, a leading tournament sponsor, from the high-profile semifinal match. The company reiterated its firm stance on not associating with matches involving Pakistan.

β€œπ‘»π’†π’“π’“π’π’“ 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’„π’“π’Šπ’„π’Œπ’†π’• 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 π’ˆπ’ 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’Šπ’ 𝒉𝒂𝒏𝒅,” 𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒅 π‘¬π’‚π’”π’†π‘΄π’šπ‘»π’“π’Šπ’‘ 𝒄𝒐-𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓 π‘΅π’Šπ’”π’‰π’‚π’π’• π‘·π’Šπ’•π’•π’Š. β€œπ‘Ύπ’† 𝒄𝒂𝒏𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒔𝒖𝒑𝒑𝒐𝒓𝒕 π’‚π’π’š 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’‚π’•π’•π’†π’Žπ’‘π’•π’” 𝒕𝒐 π’π’π’“π’Žπ’‚π’π’Šπ’”π’† π’“π’†π’π’‚π’•π’Šπ’π’π’” π’˜π’Šπ’•π’‰ 𝒂 π’„π’π’–π’π’•π’“π’š 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 π’‘π’“π’π’Žπ’π’•π’†π’” π’•π’†π’“π’“π’π’“π’Šπ’”π’Ž.”

Despite the tensions, the Asia Cup remains on schedule, with India and Pakistan expected to face off on September 14 and potentially again on September 21 and 28.

India Sealed Semifinal Spot in Style

India Champions had stormed into the semifinals after a dominant five-wicket win, chasing down a 145-run target in just 13.2 overs. Stuart Binny’s explosive 50* off 21 balls ensured the team advanced by finishing the chase inside the 14.4-over cutoff needed to qualify ahead of England Champions.

β€œπ‘Ύπ’†β€™π’“π’† 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒅 𝒐𝒇 π’˜π’‰π’‚π’• π’˜π’†β€™π’—π’† π’‚π’„π’‰π’Šπ’†π’—π’†π’… π’Šπ’ 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’•π’π’–π’“π’π’‚π’Žπ’†π’π’•,” π’”π’‚π’Šπ’… π’”π’Œπ’Šπ’‘π’‘π’†π’“ 𝒀𝒖𝒗𝒓𝒂𝒋 π‘Ίπ’Šπ’π’ˆπ’‰ 𝒂𝒇𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’ˆπ’“π’π’–π’‘-π’”π’•π’‚π’ˆπ’† π’˜π’Šπ’. β€œπ‘©π’–π’• 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒂𝒓𝒆 π’Žπ’π’Žπ’†π’π’•π’” π’˜π’‰π’†π’ 𝒗𝒂𝒍𝒖𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 π’‘π’“π’Šπ’π’„π’Šπ’‘π’π’†π’” π’„π’π’Žπ’† 𝒃𝒆𝒇𝒐𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 π’ˆπ’‚π’Žπ’†.”

Also Read: WCL 2025: India Champions Eye Trophy After Crushing WI Champions

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