Shahid Afridi could only silently witness from the balcony of the stadium as the Yuvraj Singh-led Indian Champions, who had just decided not to play the WCL 2025 semi-final against the Pakistani Champions, walked out of the venue. The decision came due to the increased political tension between India and Pakistan after the Pahalgam terror attack incident. India had already skipped their league stage match against Pakistan, and many wondered if they would stick to their stand in the knockout stage—which they did, emphatically.

A video doing rounds on social media captured the moment—Afridi watching helplessly from above while Yuvraj Singh, Suresh Raina, Shikhar Dhawan, and others exited the stadium. After qualifying for the semifinals, Afridi had taunted, "Pata nahi ab kis muh se khelga par khelega hamare sath hi (Don’t know with what face India will play, but they’ll have to play us)." That remark now stands hollow as India chose principle over play, choosing to forfeit the game rather than take the field against Pakistan. Their semifinal qualification came after defeating the West Indies Champions.

The tournament organizers officially confirmed the development in a statement: "We respect the India Champions' decision to withdraw from the semifinals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions' readiness to compete. Taking all factors into consideration, the match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions has been called off." They added that Pakistan will advance to the final by default.

Organisers Acknowledge Public Sentiment

The WCL committee further stated that while they’ve always believed in sport as a unifier, respecting public emotion was paramount. "Public sentiment must always be respected—after all, everything we do is for our audience," the statement read. The Indian team, including famous players like Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan, was one in the decision to respect the national sentiment and not play the game.

Indian team packing their bags and knocked out out of WCL 🇮🇳
Lala watching them from the balcony. #WCL2025 pic.twitter.com/zpmffXfqWE

— TEAM AFRIDI (@TEAM_AFRIDI) July 30, 2025

بھارت سیمی فائنل تک تو پہنچ گیا اب کس منہ سے ھمارے ساتھ کھیلے گا۔شاھد آفریدی pic.twitter.com/1UScfnzpYl

— Shahid Khan Afridi Fan (@Afridiifan) July 30, 2025

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This act of solidarity went far beyond the spheres of the game of sport. The fact that the India Champions are not taking part in the tournament does not mean that their stance has not raised a discussion about the intertwined politics and cricket issue.

The high-voltage semi-final match between arch-rivals India Champions and Pakistan Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 has been officially called off. The statement was made on Wednesday, confirming that Pakistan will go directly to the final. The decision was made after India's withdrawal from the fixture due to the recent events.

In an official statement, the WCL organizers said, "We respect the India Champions' decision to withdraw from the semi-finals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions' readiness to compete. Taking all factors into consideration, the match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions has been called off. As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final." Pakistan will now face the winner of the second semi-final between the South Africa Champions and Australia Champions.

Earlier, it was reported that the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions refused to play the semi-final in response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed several innocent lives. India had already boycotted their group-stage match against Pakistan earlier in the tournament, taking a consistent stand. The team, which includes legends like Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, and Yusuf Pathan, unanimously supported the decision.

“India ke liye kuch bhi”

An insider from the Indian camp said on condition of anonymity, "We are not playing against Pakistan. Our country and nation will always be at the top for us, and then anything. India ke liye kuch bhi. We are proud members of the Indian team. We have struggled and worked hard to put the Indian flag on our shirts, and we earned it. We will never let our country down, no matter what. Bharat Mata ki jai."

Semi - Finals Update ! pic.twitter.com/lTmh3j0sSP

— World Championship Of Legends (@WclLeague) July 30, 2025

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As the India Champions are standing firm on their national values, the defending champions are out of the WCL 2025 final. Their withdrawal is not only a powerful statement in sport; it is also a sign of their solidarity with their homeland at a time of national grief.

When India Champions chased down the target against the West Indies in their last group-stage clash of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025, they qualified for the semifinal, where they would face their arch-rival, Pakistan. But, during their group-stage clash, the game was canceled after the Indian players maintained their stance of not facing this opponent.

The recent news has revealed that they will keep going with the same decision and boycott the semifinal clash against the Mohammed Hafeez-led side. Generally, in such cases, the victory is awarded to the opposition side. That will see the Hafeez-led side advancing into the final of the tournament.

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‘Indian players have refused to play against Pakistan in the WCL semifinal scheduled for Thursday. Retired international players representing India Champions have refused to play against Pakistan Champions in the semi-final of the World Championship of Legends in Birmingham.’ The recent reports claimed.

India Champions boycott WCL 2025 semifinal against Pakistan Champions

Earlier on July 30, the main sponsor of the WCL for the India side, EaseMyTrip, decided to take their name off the event in case the Blue Brigade face the Pakistan side in the semifinal, reaffirming the longstanding policy of non-participation in any match involving the neighbours.

‘The people of India have spoken, and we hear them. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL. Some things are bigger than sport. Nation first, business later, always. We applaud Team India @India_Champions 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. Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand.’ The co-founder of the travel-tech company, Nishant Pitti, said in a statement.

It has been a tough three weeks for the Indian champions, who lost their opening infield clash against the Proteas before facing another defeat against Australia. But their only and first victory over the Caribbean side was enough to get them into the semifinal of the competition. South Africa, on the other hand, will lock horns with Australia in the second semifinal.

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.