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A fresh controversy has erupted in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) after the Pakistan Champions declined to share points with the India Champions, who withdrew from their scheduled encounter in Birmingham last Sunday. The game was called off by the organisers following India’s decision to pull out.
Key Indian players—including skipper Yuvraj Singh, Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan—opted out of the high-stakes match, which was set to launch India's title defense in the tournament.
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Shortly after the withdrawal, WCL officials cancelled the fixture and issued an apology for "unintentionally causing discomfort" to the Indian players. The withdrawal came amid heightened tensions following the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam and India’s subsequent Operation Sindoor, which reportedly influenced the players’ decision.
WCL informed the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) that they were unable to host the match. They also clarified that the Indian team was not at fault. However, the Pakistan Champions opposed the suggestion to split the points, arguing that they should receive the full two points since it was India who pulled out.
A WCL source stated, "The organisers explained the situation to the ECB. The India Champions team is not responsible. The Pakistan side, however, refused to accept a point-sharing arrangement, insisting that India’s withdrawal warrants a full points award in their favor."
Echoing this stance, Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan said on Monday that his team should be awarded the two points outright. "If we make it to the final, decisions will be made accordingly. But for this game, we should receive both points as per the rules since India didn’t show up," he asserted.
