The Indian team has officially withdrawn from the World Championship of Legends. The England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB) is being informed about the Indian team forfeiting their semi-final against Pakistan, which would mean that Pakistan progress to the final of the WCL.
Earlier, India Today learnt that the majority of the Indian players wanted to boycott the match due to the ongoing geopolitical tensions between the two countries.
Sources told that the team would take a similar stand to the one they took in the group-stage match against Pakistan earlier in the tournament. In that game, several top former India cricketers had called for a boycott of Pakistan.
India were set to play Pakistan in the semi-final of the tournament on July 31 at Edgbaston Cricket Ground. However, on the eve of the match, one of the sponsors of the Indian team, EaseMyTrip, pulled out of the semi-final game, stating that terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand.
In a public statement on X, the founder of the company, Nishant Pitti, said that while they applaud India Champions for reaching the semi-final of the exhibition tournament, they do not wish to be associated with matches where Pakistan are involved.
Earlier in the tournament, India had forfeited their group-stage match against Pakistan after several players pulled out of the clash. Shikhar Dhawan and Harbhajan Singh were prominent figures who initiated that boycott.
