The highly anticipated semi-final clash between India Champions and Pakistan Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 is now facing significant uncertainty. Reports suggest that Indian players are considering boycotting the match, adding another layer of complexity to the already intense rivalry. This follows India's refusal to play Pakistan in the group stage, where both teams were awarded a point each.
The primary reason behind this potential boycott is the ongoing geopolitical tensions between India and Pakistan. The recent terror attack at Pahalgam has further strained relations, leading to calls for a complete boycott of sporting events involving the two nations.
Adding to the controversy, EaseMyTrip, a major sponsor of the WCL, has announced its withdrawal of support for the India-Pakistan semi-final. Nishant Pitti, the founder of EaseMyTrip, stated that "terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand" and that the company stands with India, refusing to support any event that normalizes relations with a country that promotes terrorism.
Several prominent Indian players had earlier boycotted the group stage match against Pakistan, including Shikhar Dhawan and Harbhajan Singh. Dhawan had even shared an email confirming his decision not to participate in any matches against Pakistan due to the prevailing geopolitical situation.
Despite the uncertainty, the semi-final is currently scheduled to take place on July 31st at Edgbaston Cricket Ground in Birmingham. However, if the match is cancelled, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final due to their higher position in the league stage. Pakistan topped the WCL 2025 points table with nine points from five games, while India finished fourth with only one win.
India secured their place in the semi-finals after a crucial victory against West Indies Champions. Chasing 145 runs, India needed to reach the target in 14.1 overs to qualify based on net run rate, and they achieved it in just 13.2 overs, thanks to a quickfire half-century from Stuart Binny and a composed innings from captain Yuvraj Singh.
The other semi-final will feature South Africa Champions against Australia Champions. South Africa finished second in the group stage with four wins, while Australia secured the third spot with two wins.
The possibility remains that the organizers might reshuffle the semi-final pairings to avoid an India-Pakistan clash. In that scenario, India could face either Australia or South Africa, and a potential India-Pakistan final could still be on the cards.
