Pakistan Champions owner reacts after India pull out of WCL 2025 semi-final

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan has responded to the India Champions' withdrawal from the highly anticipated World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 semi-final, which was scheduled to be played on Thursday in Birmingham.

In an exclusive interview with Geo News, Kamil expressed no disappointment over how the situation unfolded.

“There’s no regret about playing the semifinal because of the way our team had been performing and the kind of cricket we played — we remained unbeaten in the league matches," Kamil said.

"The semifinal was a tough game, but we weren’t concerned about the opposition because our goal was to reach the final and win the trophy. So it didn’t matter to us who we were going to face or how the semifinal would turn out,” he added.

He emphasised that reaching the final, even via a walkover, was well-deserved due to the team’s consistent performance throughout the tournament.

“If we are advancing to the final via a walkover, it’s the result of the team’s collective hard work. Given the way the team has performed, we fully deserve to be in the final,” he said.

Pakistan Champions have qualified for the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 final following India Champions’ withdrawal from their semi-final clash, the tournament organisers confirmed on Wednesday.

The defending champions, who had earlier pulled out of their high-octane league match against Pakistan Champions, earned a miraculous qualification into the semi-finals by comprehensively defeating West Indies Champions — a win that pushed them past England Champions due to a superior net run rate.

However, soon after the semi-final matchup was confirmed, uncertainty loomed once again as India Champions reportedly refused to take part in the fixture.

As per the latest development, the WCL has officially confirmed the abandonment of the clash due to India Champions’ withdrawal, citing public sentiment as a contributing factor.

Since Pakistan Champions were ready to compete, they have now advanced to the final, where they will face the winner of the second semi-final on Saturday.

Kamil also lauded the team’s performance and efforts in the ongoing second edition of the tournament, highlighting their resilience against tough opponents like Australia, South Africa, and West Indies.

He specifically praised former spinner Saeed Ajmal for his record-breaking spell against the Aussies.

“Truly very proud of the way our team has played. Even the bench strength that we tested in the last match delivered an outstanding performance. Saeed Ajmal, in particular, performed brilliantly,” he said.

“The team was strong, and the other teams were also quite competitive in this edition of the World Championship of Legends. South Africa is no easy opponent, Australia had a good team, and so did West Indies. But our players peaked at the right time, delivered when it mattered most, and now we’ve reached the final.”

He also expressed confidence that this time, the team would cross the finish line and clinch the WCL 2025 title, having lost the inaugural season’s final to India Champions.

“The final is a new game, and it’s a tough one because of the pressure. But the kind of team we’ve brought this time will perform well in the final too. Last season, we missed out on the title, but this season, we’ll try to get over the line,” he stated.