India boycotts Pakistan clash in WCL 2025 Semi-Final, Pakistan advances final

India withdrew from the WCL semi-final against Pakistan. Sponsors pulled out, and players stood firm on their boycott stance. Pakistan may advance to finals via walkover, reigniting debates on politics in sports.

New Delhi: The match between India and Pakistan in the semi-finals of the World Champions of Legends (WCL) 2025 has been suddenly cancelled. The decision was taken due to the Indian team boycotting the match, which has brought a major upset in the tournament.

India had earlier entered the semi-finals by defeating the West Indies easily but refused to play against Pakistan. Now Pakistan can reach the final directly, as they can get a walkover after India's boycott.

Why did India boycott the match?

Indian players have maintained their decision not to participate in any competitive match against Pakistan. The decision has been taken due to the long-standing political and strategic tension between the two countries. Earlier also, the match between India and Pakistan in the group stage of WCL was cancelled after Indian players and major sponsor EaseMyTrip objected to it.

Sponsors also left

A major twist in this matter came when EaseMyTrip, one of the main sponsors of WCL, withdrew its name from the India-Pakistan semi-final match. The company reiterated its policy of not sponsoring any cricket match involving Pakistan. This step has been taken in the backdrop of increasing tension and trade sanctions between India and Pakistan.

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Afridi's controversial statement and Dhawan's response

Pakistani team captain Shahid Afridi expressed displeasure over India's boycott of the match and said that "cricket should be kept away from politics." Indian batsman Shikhar Dhawan reacted sharply to his statement. Dhawan publicly shared his email, in which he cited "geopolitical circumstances" as the reason for not playing the match. He termed Afridi's statement as "absurd" and made it clear that the players put the country's security and honor above everything else.

Will Pakistan now reach the final directly?

If India has officially confirmed not to play the match, then Pakistan can get a place in the final without playing the match. This may also give rise to demands for changes in the tournament rules, as it shows the impact of political decisions of players in a major event.

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