Cricket: India Champions pull out of WCL 2025 semi-final against Pakistan - what happens next?
India legends refuse to face Pakistan amid sponsorship row
On Wednesday, the India Champions cricket team made a massive decision to officially announce their withdrawal from the 2025 World Championship of Legends (WCL), less than 24 hours before their semi-final clash with arch-rivals Pakistan.
Tensions between the nations reached a boiling point back in April following the Pahalgam terror attacks, which claimed 26 lives and forced both the Indian Premier League and Pakistan Super League to be postponed for just over a week.
The Men in Blue clinched a place in the last four of the WCL by beating the West Indies, which was their only victory in the competition. The Shaheens, meanwhile, topped the group standings unbeaten, which saw the two drawn against each other in the semi-final as first and fourth-placed qualifiers, respectively.
India had refused to face the Green Shirts earlier in the competition as well, when the likes of Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh and the Pathan brothers revealed that they would not participate in the match.
Adding to the drama, one of the Indian cricket team’s biggest sponsors, EaseMyTrip, opted to pull their sponsorship of the side ahead of the semi-final, citing that terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand. Nishant Pitti, founder of EaseMyTrip, said:
“We applaud Team India for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you’ve made the nation proud. However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL. Some things are bigger than sport. Nation first, business later. Always. Jai Hind”
The team’s withdrawal from the semi-final has now drawn mixed reactions from onlookers, with some supporting the decision, while others have criticised it, especially after the BCCI confirmed that the national team would participate in the Asian Cup later this year.
What happens to WCL 2025 final after India withdrawal?
When India refused to face Pakistan during the group stage of the tournament, WCL organisers took the decision to deem the match a no-contest and awarded the teams one point each. However, with this being a knockout clash, the course of action is different.
Given that it is the Men in Blue who have withdrawn from the match, Pakistan Champions will now progress to the final, where they will take on the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa Champions and Australia Champions, who finished second and third in the table, respectively.
The Proteas’ legends racked up eight points in their five games and had the highest net run rate during the group stage of +2.608, while the Aussies picked up five points in as many games and ended with a NRR of -1.523.
