WCL owner breaks silence on India Champions' boycott against Pakistan Champions: 'Where were we wrong?'

Harshit Tomar, owner of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) league, broke his silence on the last-minute cancellation of India-Pakistan fixtures this year following the conclusion of the second season on Saturday in Birmingham.

The second WCL season witnessed the Yuvraj Singh-led India Champions refuse to play Mohammad Hafeez's Pakistan Champions twice – during the group stage as well as in the semi-finals – because of which they failed to defend their title, having beaten their arch-rivals to win the inaugural edition last year. South Africa Champions, led by legendary batter AB de Villiers, would go on to thrash Pakistan Champions by nine wickets at Edgbaston to be crowned winners.

Yuvraj and Co’s decision to boycott Pakistan Champions was taken keeping the recent terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam and the subsequent military conflict between India and Pakistan in mind. Tomar, however, revealed that the fixtures for the second season had been finalised long back in December, and that it was always going to be tricking changing things in the last minute following the recent events in the Indian subcontinent.

More from First Cricket

Former New Zealand coach who defeated India in WTC final appointed Andhra Pradesh head coach for Ranji Trophy Sri Lanka crush Bangladesh by six wickets to record commanding win in Asia Cup 2025

Also Read | Suresh Raina takes a brutal dig at Pakistan after SA Champions clinch WCL title

“We are going ahead with the tournament in England, which means that everything was taken care of 8-10 months in advance. Our schedule was revealed in December. The Champions Trophy was played in February. Players from both India and Pakistan met there, and government officials from both contingents also met each other,” Tomar told news anchor Shubhankar Mishra on the latter’s YouTube channel.

“I cannot express my sadness at what happened in Pahalgam. We supported Operation Sindoor. The war happened, and then it was stopped. Then, the sports between the two countries started to get normal. We weren’t the first ones to hold the match between India and Pakistan. Meanwhile, we approached the England and Wales Cricket Board, informing them about the geopolitical situation between the two countries. After having a long conversation with the ECB and authorities, they said ‘This is good to go,” he added.

Impact Shorts

More Shorts

'Won't require surgery...': Real reason behind Jasprit Bumrah's absence from 5th Test revealed in new report

PCB bans players from WCL over India-Pakistan match controversy

 India, Pakistan also set to meet in Asia Cup, Women’s T20 World Cup, says WCL owner

Tomar added that WCL isn’t the only sports organisation having Indo-Pak cricket fixtures in the aftermath of the Pahalgam attack and Operation Sindoor, with the two arch-rivals set to face each other in next month’s ACC Men’s Asia Cup as well as in the 2026 ICC Women’s T20 World Cup.

“The Women’s World Cup is soon going to happen. India will take on Pakistan there. Asia Cup chatter is also there. You tell me, where were we wrong in wanting to go ahead with the match? It was next to impossible for me to change things at the last minute. I just had the option of not going ahead with the tournament this year,” he added.

Also Read | PCB responds to India Champions' boycott in WCL, bans the use of name 'Pakistan' in private leagues

Pakistan has long been accused of being a safe haven for terror groups and using them to wage a proxy war against fellow nuclear power India, with New Delhi pinning the blame for the Pahalgam attack on Islamabad.

New Delhi responded with military action against their neighbours, launching ‘Operation Sindoor’ in which it targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir before shifting its attention to the country’s air defence and radar system as well as air bases.