India withdraw from tournament ahead of semi-final against Pakistan in WCL

Dubai: India Champions have withdrawn from the semi-final of the World Championship of Legends (WCL), originally scheduled for Thursday against Pakistan Champions.

In an official statement, the WCL said: "We respect the India Champions' decision to withdraw from the semi-finals, and we equally respect the Pakistan Champions' readiness to compete. Taking all factors into consideration, the match between the India Champions and the Pakistan Champions has been called off. As a result, Pakistan Champions will advance to the final."

Pakistan will now face the winner of the second semi-final between South Africa Champions and Australia Champions.

India secured their place in the semi-finals with a dominant win over West Indies Champions, chasing down the target in just 13.2 overs on Tuesday. Before that, they had a tough run in the group stage, suffering losses to South Africa (by 88 runs via DRS), Australia (by 4 wickets), and England (by 23 runs). Their only point prior to the West Indies match came from the abandoned game against Pakistan.

The controversy deepened on Wednesday when EaseMyTrip, a principal sponsor of the tournament, publicly withdrew support from the India vs Pakistan semi-final.

Public declarations from former India players, including Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, also echoed this sentiment, with both expressing unwillingness to participate in any match against Pakistan.