National Times Bureau, Aug 3, 2025 — The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has imposed a blanket ban on its players from participating in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), accusing the tournament of being politically biased and lacking sporting fairness. The decision came after India forfeited both their scheduled group-stage and semifinal matches against Pakistan, citing national sentiment following the Pahalgam terror attack and India’s subsequent ‘Operation Sindoor.’
The PCB, led by chairman Mohsin Naqvi in a virtual board meeting, slammed the WCL for awarding points to the Indian team despite their deliberate withdrawal. The Pakistani board labeled this as an act of “hypocrisy and bias” and claimed the cancellation of the matches was driven not by cricketing considerations but by an attempt to appease a “nationalistic narrative.”
“The conduct of the WCL undermines the core values of sportsmanship,” said the PCB, adding that the event had allowed politics to interfere with the spirit of the game. The board expressed outrage at what it called a “farcical” apology issued by the WCL, which is co-owned by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn. The apology had stated that the tournament organisers never intended to hurt sentiments and had only aimed to entertain fans.
But the PCB rejected the sentiment, stating the apology indirectly confirmed that the decisions were influenced by political pressure, not cricketing merit. “This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community,” the board said.
The PCB further indicated that continuing participation in such tournaments would be tantamount to endorsing prejudice and external manipulation. It declared that any platform compromising the principles of fair play and neutrality could not be tolerated.
Meanwhile, sources close to the WCL claimed that the tournament’s Indian promoters had already been considering dropping the Pakistan team from future editions. While India’s players, including Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, and Harbhajan Singh, refused to play against Pakistan due to the national mood, Pakistan advanced directly to the final due to India’s withdrawal.
The situation has sparked sharp debate in international cricketing circles, with concerns growing over the increasing intrusion of political agendas into sporting events that claim to be neutral and unifying.
