The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) Sunday (August 3, 2025) issued a blanket ban on its players’ inclusion in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), charging the tournament organisers with being “partial” and devoid of sporting integrity.
The move comes after a series of incidents where the Indian team voluntarily gave up their group-stage match and semifinal against Pakistan due to India’s opposition to bilateral sporting relations with the neighboring nation following the horrific Pahalagam terror attack.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces that it is issuing a blanket ban from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL),” the PCB said in a statement after its board of governors meeting held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi.
Allegations of Bias and Lack of Sporting Integrity
The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) on Sunday (August 3, 2025) announced a blanket ban on its players’ participation in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), accusing the tournament organisers of being “biased” and lacking sporting integrity.
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The decision follows a sequence of events in which the Indian team forfeited both their group-stage clash and semifinal against Pakistan, citing the country’s stand against bilateral sporting ties with the neighbouring country after the gruesome Pahalagam terror attack.
“The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announces that it is issuing a blanket ban from future participation in the World Championship of Legends (WCL),” the PCB said in a statement after its board of governors meeting held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi.
PCB Objects to Points Awarded to India
The PCB also took strong exception to the WCL’s decision to award points to India despite the forfeiture, calling it “tainted with hypocrisy and bias.”
India and Pakistan were initially scheduled to meet in the group stage, but the Indian team comprising Shikhar Dhawan, Yuvraj Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Harbhajan Singh declined to play, citing national pride after the terror attack and India’s follow-up ‘Operation Sindoor’.
India withdrawing from the semifinal as well, Pakistan made it to the final.
PCB Criticises WCL’s Handling of the Situation
“The PCB reviewed with considerable disappointment WCL’s appalling conduct of awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team, and the content of the press releases of the WCL announcing the cancellation of the scheduled India vs. Pakistan legends matches, which were tainted with hypocrisy and bias.”
Criticising the tournament’s handling of the situation, the PCB said, “The cancellation was not based on cricketing merit but on appeasing a specific nationalistic narrative. This sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community.”
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The board further stated that it could not allow its players to participate in events where “the spirit of the game is overshadowed by skewed politics that undermine the very essence of sportsmanship and the gentleman’s game.”
WCL’s Apology and PCB’s Response
The WCL, owned by Bollywood star Ajay Devgn along with others, had previously issued an apology for “causing hurt to the sentiments of many and rousing emotions” after cancelling the group stage match.
“We sincerely apologise again for hurting the sentiments and hope people will understand that all we ever wanted was to bring a few happy moments to the fans,” the WCL had said.
The PCB, however, termed the apology “farcical,” accusing the organisers of caving to “a specific nationalistic narrative.” “The WCL’s apology for “hurting the sentiments”, whilst being farcical, inadvertently acknowledges that the cancellation was not based on cricketing merit, but rather on succumbing to a specific nationalistic narrative,” the PCB said.
PCB Justifies Firm Action
“This bias, masquerading as sensitivity, sends an unacceptable message to the international sporting community.”
PCB said it had no choice but to implement the ban.
“In light of this unfortunate development, which underscores a clear and intolerable pattern of external influence and a disregard for the principles of sporting neutrality, the Pakistan Cricket Board is compelled to take a firm stance.
“The PCB can no longer condone participation in an event where the fundamental principles of fair play and unbiased administration are compromised by external pressures,” it added.
Indian promoters of WCL were already contemplating removing the Pakistani team from upcoming versions of the tournament, sources privy to information have pointed out.
