Just One Player! India Would Have Not Boycotted Pakistan Game In WCL 2025 If Not For This Player

India Champions forfeited both their group stage and semi-final matches against Pakistan Champions in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025. A member of the Indian team, speaking anonymously to NDTV, revealed one of the main reasons behind the boycott to NDTV. While the world thought that it was a collective decision to boycott Pakitsna due to brutal Pahalgam terror attacks on innocent civillians but the report reveals that it was because of just one player and not the whole team or nation. 

The player stated, “It was a decision to not play against Shahid Afridi, given the statements he had made.” The India Champions team withdrew from their opening match against Pakistan Champions following the Pahalgam terror attack. They later staged a walkover in the semi-final, allowing Pakistan Champions direct entry to the final. Pakistan eventually faced South Africa Champions in the final but were defeated.

The anonymous Indian legend, closely involved in the boycott decision, explained that whether the team would have reconsidered it depended on Shahid Afridi’s presence. “It is an afterthought. We knew of our fixture against Pakistan but was not sure of the composition of the team,” the legend told NDTV.

Afridi had once commented, “We are here to play cricket, and I’ve always said that cricket should be kept away from politics  it should move forward. A player should be a good ambassador, not a source of embarrassment for their country.”

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India Champions Decided To Boycott

India Champions included players such as Shikhar Dhawan, Suresh Raina, Irfan Pathan, and Yusuf Pathan, all of whom refused to play against Pakistan Champions. Despite India pulling out of their group stage clash, both teams were awarded a point each. That point proved crucial, as India Champions secured a place in the semi-finals by staging a remarkable run chase against West Indies Champions in their final group game. But later India were to face Pakistan in the semi-final stage and staying true to their stance on the issue in the league stage, India decided to pull out of the semi-final fixture and thus got knocked out without playing. Pakistan Champions played the final against South Africa champions but eventually lost to South Africa starrting AB De Villers blazing century.

In response to India’s boycott, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) announced a ban on the country’s participation in the WCL. The PCB criticized the WCL’s handling of the India-Pakistan matches, accusing it of “hypocrisy and bias. 

“The decision was taken after a detailed discussion in the Board of Directors meeting on Thursday. The high-level authorities felt Indian players refusing to play Pakistan in the WCL’s second edition twice is hurtful to the name of the country.  All private organisations will face legal action in case they use Pakistan’s name. PCB has the sole right to allow its use for cricket events if it finds the authenticity of the League and the organisation as reputable,” PCB said in a statement.