Pakistan Champions have withdrawn from the World Championship of Legends (WCL) Season 3 after a dispute with the Pakistan Cricket Board over conditions attached to the players’ participation.
The PCB had initially been reluctant to issue No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the squad. According to reports, the board later agreed to issue them subject to certain conditions, including a written apology from Indian players over last year’s WCL controversy and an assurance that Indian and Pakistani players would shake hands if they met in the tournament. The WCL organisers rejected those demands, leaving the PCB and tournament management unable to reach an agreement.
The dispute stems from the 2025 edition, when India Champions refused to play Pakistan Champions in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack. Their group-stage fixture was called off, while India again declined to take the field in the semi-final, allowing Pakistan to advance to the final. Pakistan eventually lost the title clash to South Africa.
The fallout has now carried into the third edition. India and Pakistan were scheduled to meet on October 10, but that fixture will no longer take place following Pakistan’s withdrawal. The tournament will continue with six teams. The official statements, however, have stopped short of mentioning the reported conditions.
WCL announced that Pakistan Champions would not participate in Season 3 due to “unforeseen circumstances”. The Pakistan Champions management, meanwhile, said the team could not participate after the PCB maintained its refusal to issue the required NOCs.
The withdrawal is a significant setback for Pakistan Champions, who had reached the final in both previous editions. They lost to India Champions in the inaugural 2024 final before falling to South Africa Champions in the 2025 summit clash.
Former Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi was expected to lead the side this season, but he was not present when their opening fixture against Bangladesh was postponed. Their scheduled match against Australia was subsequently cancelled amid the uncertainty surrounding their participation.
What began as a dispute over last year’s India-Pakistan fallout has therefore ended with Pakistan missing an entire tournament. The WCL will continue without one of its most prominent teams, while the proposed India-Pakistan clash has been removed from the schedule.
