India-Pakistan veterans match cancelled after Yuvi’s Team in Blue refuse to play

A veterans' cricket match between India and Pakistan, scheduled to take place in England on Sunday as part of the World Championship of Legends, was cancelled after the Indian team, led by Yuvraj Singh, pulled out of the contest.

The Indian team, comprising Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Varun Aaron, among others, refused to play the veterans from Pakistan, upset by the Pahalgam Terror Attack in April. Pakistan-based terrorists killed 26 civilians at Pahalgam in Kashmir, reigniting a war-like situation between the neighbours.

The Pakistan team comprises Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Wahab Riaz and Kamran Akmal among other former stars.

The second edition of the WCL, hosted by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), and co-owned by Bollywood star Ajay Devgn, began on June 18 at Edgbaston and will go on till August 2. The WCL organisers said they only wanted to recreate ‘happy memories’.

"After hearing the news that the Pakistan hockey team will be coming to India this year, and seeing the recent India vs Pakistan volleyball match along with a few other fixtures between the two nations in different sports, we thought of continuing with the India vs Pakistan match at WCL, just to create some happy memories for people around the globe.

"But maybe in the process, we ended up hurting the feelings of many and stirring emotions," the WCL said in a statement.

The organisers also apologised for "unintentionally causing discomfort" to Indian legends. "Hence, we have decided to call off the India-Pakistan match. We sincerely apologise again for hurting the sentiments and hope people will understand that all we ever wanted was to bring a few happy moments to the fans," it read.

Dhawan’s reaction
"This is to formally reiterate and confirm that Mr Shikhar Dhawan will not be participating in any matches against the Pakistan team in the upcoming WCL League. This decision was communicated earlier during our discussion on call and WhatsApp dated 11th May 2025," read Dhawan’s statement.

"In view of the current geopolitical situation and the prevailing tensions between India and Pakistan, Mr Dhawan and his team have taken this position after due consideration. We respectfully request the league's understanding and cooperation on this matter," he said in the statement.