Kamil Khan, the owner of Pakistan Champions, has confirmed that the ongoing season of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) will continue as planned after the cancelled match between India and Pakistan. He confirmed that all remaining fixtures, including the knockout games, are on track and will be played according to the original schedule.
The game was supposed to take place on July 20 at Edgbaston in Birmingham. But with growing anger from fans after the recent Pahalgam terror attack, many felt the participation of the Indian players was not appropriate.
Several former Indian internationals, including Shikhar Dhawan, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan and Suresh Raina, decided to pull out of the fixture in protest. The backlash left the organisers with no choice but to cancel the match. With no further support and mounting criticism, the decision to abandon the game was made public.
Kamil Khan on WCL Final: What If India & Pakistan Both Qualify?
Khan made it clear that the tournament will move forward without any changes.
"All the remaining matches are taking place. The tournament is going on as per schedule and there are no changes," Khan said as quoted by Geo News.
The Pakistan Champions owner was also asked about a potential clash between India and Pakistan in the semifinals or the final. Khan responded,
"As for the semifinals and final, we’re currently saying that if we make it to the semifinals, there will be four teams and we will avoid matches between the two teams."
However, he admitted that the situation surrounding a possible India vs Pakistan final remains open-ended.
"If we reach the final, then the decisions regarding that will be made then," he added.
While he stopped short of confirming whether an India-Pakistan final would go ahead, his comments confirm that the organisers are exploring ways to avoid that scenario at least in the semifinal stage. The final of the WCL 2025 is scheduled on August 2.
Pakistan Champions to Get Two Points After India Clash Gets Cancelled
Khan also confirmed that Pakistan Champions will be given points for the cancelled match.
"And as for this match, the two points will be awarded to us and we deserve those points as per the rules."
According to tournament rules, when a team withdraws from a game, the other team is given full points. Since India pulled out, Pakistan is expected to be awarded two points.
The WCL 2025 kicked off on July 18 with Pakistan Champions facing England Champions in the season- opener. Pakistan emerged victorious in that game.
India enter the tournament as defending champions as they won the first edition of the competition after beating Pakistan in the final.
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