While the defending champions India Champions will start their World Championship of Legends (WCL) T20 2025 journey on Sunday (July 20), there is massive controversy, as their opening match will be played against Pakistan Champions, where Shahid Afridi is a member of the Pakistan team. We have less than 24 hours left to officially begin the match, and some big news has just come regarding the former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi. 

Many Indians have called for a boycott of the match against Pakistan Champions in the WCL 2025. The presence of Shahid Afridi, the former Pakistan captain, has made the situation worse, as he made several comments that targeted India, the Indian Army, and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Former Indian cricketers Shikhar Dhawan and Harbhajan Singh criticised the former Pakistan all-rounder for his comments, and both are in the India Champions squad for the WCL 2025. 

And this is not the first time, as Afridi had previously made many controversial and hateful comments targeting India and Kashmir. Even former Indian cricketer Yuvraj Singh also criticised the former Pakistan all-rounder for his poor comments. Just like Dhawan and Harbhajan, Yuvraj is also a member of the India Champions for the WCL 2025. 

See Also: Should India boycott playing Pakistan at WCL 2025?

Organisers keeping away Shahid Afridi against India Champions: Report

While several Indian cricketers are reportedly considering withdrawing their names from the match against Pakistan Champions, Shahid Afridi's presence is doubtful for the match. According to the latest Zee News report, the organisers are considering keeping Afridi away from the match against the India Champions to avoid any controversy. Indian company EaseMyTrip is the official “Powered By” sponsor of WCL 2025.

Interestingly, Pakistan Champions started the WCL 2025 season with the match against England Champions last Friday (July 18), where Afridi wasn't present. 

Several Indian cricketers reportedly pulling out of the match

In the meantime, according to several news reports, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan are likely to pull out of the match against Pakistan Champions.