The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has officially imposed a blanket ban on Pakistan's participation in all future World Championship of Legends (WCL) tournaments. This decision, revealed on Sunday, August 3, 2025, comes in the wake of significant controversy surrounding India Legends' withdrawal from their scheduled semi-final match against Pakistan Champions in the 2025 edition of the tournament. The PCB has strongly criticized the WCL's response to the withdrawal, citing biased treatment and a prioritization of political and commercial interests over sporting neutrality and fair play.
The controversy began when Indian players refused to play against the Pakistan Legends team during the second edition of the WCL. This refusal was reportedly due to strong public sentiment following the recent Pahalgam terror attack and India's subsequent military response. As a result, the WCL organizers awarded match points to India, despite their refusal to play. The PCB viewed this decision as unfair and indicative of bias.
In a formal statement, the PCB expressed "considerable disappointment" with the WCL's "appalling conduct of awarding points to a willfully forfeiting team". The board also took issue with the WCL's press releases announcing the cancellation of the India vs. Pakistan matches, which they felt were "tainted with hypocrisy and bias". The PCB argued that the WCL selectively applied the narrative of "peace through sport" and allowed political expediency and narrow commercial interests to hold sporting events hostage.
"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 stated. The board emphasized that it "can no longer condone participation in an event where the fundamental principles of fair play and unbiased administration are compromised by external pressures". The PCB also stated that the cancellation of the match was "not based on cricketing merit but on appeasing a specific nationalistic narrative". The PCB believes this sends an "unacceptable message to the international sporting community".
The PCB's decision was made during its 79th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, which was held virtually under the chairmanship of Mohsin Naqvi. Several top PCB officials, including Sumair Ahmed Syed, Salman Naseer, and former cricket legend Zaheer Abbas, attended the meeting.
Prior to the semi-final withdrawal, several Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, had expressed their unwillingness to play against Pakistan. The teams were scheduled to meet twice, but India opted to pull out of the game instead of playing the semi-final.
The WCL is a T20 cricket tournament held annually in England, featuring retired and non-contracted players from major cricket nations. The tournament is co-owned by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn and Harshit Tomar.
In addition to banning future participation in the WCL, the PCB has also introduced a new policy stipulating that no private league team can use "Pakistan" in their branding without formal approval from the PCB's BoG. This measure is intended to protect the country's reputation on the international stage and distinguish between official national teams and franchises. The Board determined that the incidents had the potential to harm Pakistan's reputation, making the ban a necessary measure to protect the country’s image.
