The World Championship of Legends 2025 has reached the next stage of this year’s competition, as the top four teams of the league stage return to Birmingham for the semifinals and the final of the tournament. However, the organisers are met with a headache of a dilemma to deal with, as they must find a path through the scheduled semifinal between India and Pakistan.
Pakistan finished top of the WCL table with 4 wins and one no result in their five league games, a dominant display thus far. India, meanwhile, scraped through to the semifinals on net run-rate after a disappointing season, winning one match and losing three, with one no result.
The two rivals didn’t play one another in the group stage, as the match was called off due to Indian players dropping out citing the recent conflict in the wake of the Pahalgam attack. Players such as Shikhar Dhawan and Harbhajan Singh made public statements regarding their non-participation in their league stage game, causing its cancellation and split points.
However, with the two teams scheduled to play each other in Thursday’s semifinal, the organisers must once again look for answers. Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan had claimed that they would ensure Pakistan and India wouldn’t meet in the semifinal of the event, but with the teams slated to play each other, a quick solution must be found to ensure the continuation of the tournament.
“We believe cricket should rise above and transcend political differences. Sport has the unique power to unite and our participation in this tournament is rooted in a commitment to peace, positivity and the genuine spirit of the game,” Kamil Khan's statement following the cancellation of the league stage match read.
India vs Pakistan a rematch of 2024 WCL final
{{/usCountry}}“We believe cricket should rise above and transcend political differences. Sport has the unique power to unite and our participation in this tournament is rooted in a commitment to peace, positivity and the genuine spirit of the game,” Kamil Khan's statement following the cancellation of the league stage match read.
India vs Pakistan a rematch of 2024 WCL final
{{/usCountry}}Along with India and Pakistan, the two other semifinalists are South Africa and Australia. While shuffling around the semifinals is an idea, hoping for one of India or Pakistan to be knocked out is not a concrete, and would just create a potential problem for when the final itself rolls around.
Pakistan's better season record and place at the top of the table means they will likely be considered to move on to the final in case the match is cancelled, and especially so if it is the Indian team that forfeits this contest.
The India-Pakistan clash is therefore likely to continue with the tournament’s progression at stake, but that has also been jeopardised by tournament sponsors EaseMyTrip pulling out with a statement that read ‘terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand’.
This follows from Shikhar Dhawan stating to a reporter following India's game against England, when asked whether he would withdraw from the semifinal as well: “If I didn't play before, I still won't play now.”
Whether the Indian team opts out of this match and abandons their WCL campaign remains to be seen, but as it stands, the match is set to go ahead at Edgbaston, where this will become a subplot to the story of the match itself.