India Champions refuse to play Pakistan in WCL semifinal: Sources

New Delhi, July 30 (IANS) India Champions have declined to participate in the World Championship of Legends semifinal against Pakistan, scheduled for Thursday, maintaining their previous stance of not engaging in competitive fixtures against their arch-rivals.

India Champions entered the semifinals of the ongoing World Championship of Legends after defeating West Indies Champions in just 13.2 overs in their last group match on Tuesday.

"Indian players have refused to play against Pakistan in the WCL semifinal scheduled for Thursday,” sources told IANS on Wednesday.

Earlier, the league stage game between the two nations was officially called off, following strong objections from Indian players and a principal tournament sponsor, which was follwed by public declarations from former India cricketers, including Suresh Raina and Shikhar Dhawan, who stated they would not participate in the match.

Earlier on Wednesday, WCL's one of the main sponsors, EaseMyTrip, pulled out of the India-Pakistan WCL semifinal, reaffirming its longstanding policy of non-participation in any match involving Pakistan.

"We applaud Team India @India_Champions for their outstanding performance in the World Championship of Legends, you’ve made the nation proud. However, the upcoming semi-final against Pakistan is not just another game, Terror and cricket cannot go hand in hand. @EaseMyTrip, we stand with India. We cannot support any event that attempts to normalise relations with a country that promotes terrorism.

"The people of India have spoken and we hear them. EaseMyTrip will not be associated with the India vs Pakistan match in WCL. Some things are bigger than sport. Nation first business later, Always," Nishant Pitti, co-founder of the travel-tech company said in a statement on Wednesday.

It has been a roller-coaster tournament for India Champions, who began with a heavy 88-run loss to South Africa Champions (via DRS method), followed by back-to-back defeats against Australia (4 wickets) and England (23 runs). Their only point before the West Indies match came from the abandoned game against Pakistan.

--IANS

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