‘No one can stop us’: Pakistan Champions owner reacts to PCB’s 'blanket ban'

BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan has expressed his disapproval of the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) ‘blanket ban’ which would bar his team from bearing the country’s name in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL).

The cricket board announced imposing the ban on Sunday following its 79th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, citing double standards and politically motivated behaviour by the event organisers.

Notably, the controversy stems from the India Champions’ refusal to play two scheduled matches against the Pakistan Champions – a league-stage fixture and the blockbuster semi-final – due to political tensions between the two nations.

As a result, both teams were awarded a point each for the cancelled group-stage match. In the semi-final, the Pakistan Champions were granted a walkover and thus advanced to the semi-final.

Pakistan Champions took on South Africa Champions in the final and suffered a nine-wicket thrashing, which meant they finished as the runners-up for the second consecutive year.

Meanwhile, team owner Kamil, during a media interaction here, reflected on his side’s WCL 2025 campaign and lauded their performances, urging that one setback did not mean the end of the road for them.

“Just like the first season, Pakistan Champions performed very well in the second season too. Unfortunately, we couldn’t win the final, which we really wanted to win, and millions of Pakistanis were also hoping for that,” said Kamil.

“But the team played well. One bad day doesn’t make a team bad. Losing one final doesn’t mean Pakistan Champions is over,” he added.

Kamil further commented on PCB’s decision not to allow players to participate in the league, stating that he owns the team and asserted that it would return for the next edition.

“It doesn’t mean the team won’t return. We have seen the news and read reports saying Pakistan Champions will not be back, but I don’t know where that news came from. If it came from PCB, then I don’t know why,” he stated.

“This is our own Pakistan Champions team. I own this team. This is a private league, and I am the owner. PCB does not own it. There are many private leagues happening around the world, and no one can stop us from naming our team after our country. Pakistan is our pride,” he added.

The Pakistan Champions’ owner then went on to reveal that the national players’ participation in the WCL 2025 was fully authorised as they were granted NOCs by the PCB.

He further claimed that the team management also met PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi in this regard and that the latter supported Pakistan Champions.

“We took NOCs from the PCB for all players. We also went to PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who actually supported and assisted us. I am very thankful to him for backing Pakistan Champions,” Kamil stated.

“There was no contact from the PCB before or after the tournament. This is our national identity, and we named our team accordingly. We didn’t use the PCB logo or any of their branding just their players, and only after obtaining official clearance,” he concluded.