India Champions refuse to play WCL 2025 semi-final against Pakistan: Indian media

The majority of India Champions players have refused to participate in their World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 semi-final against arch-rivals Pakistan Champions, Indian media reported on Wednesday.

The defending champions, who pulled out of their high-octane against Pakistan Champions earlier in the tournament, earned a miraculous qualification into the semi-finals by comprehensively defeating West Indies Champions comprehensively which powered them past England Champions due to a superior net run rate.India Champions, as a result, finished fourth in the standings, meaning they will lock horns with Pakistan Champions in the first semi-final, as the latter finished as the leaders with nine points in five matches.

However, soon after the matchup was confirmed, the uncertainty continued to jeopardise the blockbuster clash due to India Champions’ potential refusal to partake in the fixture.

Meanwhile, as per the latest development, an Indian news agency has reported that at least five India Champions players, including skipper Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan and Yusuf Pathan, are ‘unwilling’ to play against Pakistan Champions, citing political tensions and public sentiment.

The development came just days after India Champions’ top-order batter Dhawan reiterated his stance of not playing against Pakistan Champions when asked about the fierce rivals’ potential knockout meeting.During a media interaction following India’s narrow defeat to Australia, Dhawan was asked about his participation should India meet Pakistan in the semi-finals.

The question visibly frustrated Dhawan, who asserted that he would continue to stand by his stance.

“You’re asking this question at the wrong time and place — you shouldn’t have asked it. And even if I didn’t play earlier, I still won’t play now,” Dhawan had said.