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"I Still Won't Play...": Shikhar Dhawan Stands By His Decision To Boycott Pakistan In WCL

Rajgeeta Yadav

Shikhar Dhawan loses his cool [Source: @ahtashamriaz22/X.com]Shikhar Dhawan loses his cool [Source: @ahtashamriaz22/X.com]

The World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 match between India Legends and Pakistan Legends was cancelled recently. This sparked a lot of talk, especially because several Indian players, including Shikhar Dhawan, chose not to play against Pakistan.

The Indian team, led by Yuvraj Singh, was set to kick off their WCL campaign against Shahid Afridi’s Pakistan team on June 20 in Birmingham. However, Dhawan and other senior Indian players like Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan decided to pull out of the match.

Why Did Shikhar Dhawan Pull Out?

Shikhar Dhawan had already made it clear that he wouldn’t play against Pakistan. In fact, he had sent an email to the tournament organisers as early as May 11, informing them of his decision. He even posted a screenshot of that email on X (formerly Twitter) the night before the match.

Despite his clear stand, people kept questioning him about what he would do if India and Pakistan meet again in the semi-finals or final. While that league match was cancelled and both teams shared points, there’s still a chance they could face each other in the knockout stages.

When a Pakistan reporter asked again about facing Pakistan in a possible future match, Dhawan didn’t hold back.

"You're asking this question at the wrong time and place - you shouldn't have asked it. And even if I didn't play earlier, I still won't play now," Dhawan said.

This statement was clearly meant to put the matter to rest. Dhawan felt the question was unnecessary since he had already made his position known.

As of now, India Legends are at the bottom of the WCL points table. They’ve played three matches, lost two, and one match was cancelled. Their Net Run Rate (NRR) is a poor -2.227, and they have only 1 point.

Pakistan Legends, on the other hand, is doing well. They’re at the top of the table with 3 wins from 4 matches (one match had no result). They have 7 points and an NRR of +0.900.