Pakistan Champions will not play in the World Championship of Legends 2026. The Pakistan Cricket Board refused to issue No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the squad, and without them no player could take the field.
The first match lost was Pakistan’s opener against Bangladesh Champions in Sharjah on 3 October. Organisers postponed it “due to technical reasons” and have not set a new date. The bigger loss is the India vs Pakistan clash on 10 October in Dubai, which organisers confirmed in September after moving WCL 2026 to the UAE.
Most of the squad had already reached Dubai when the decision landed. Captain Shahid Afridi and Sarfaraz Ahmed did not travel, and Afridi was missing from the captains’ photoshoot.
Team owner Kamil Khan said the players did everything the process required.
“We could not play the match against Bangladesh, but we still hope that the PCB will reconsider its decision. The players submitted their applications according to the prescribed procedure, and we are still waiting for a positive decision.”
Kamil Khan, Pakistan Champions owner, to the Express Tribune, 3 October 2026
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On paper, the board blocked a team. What it really took away was the one word that makes a legends side worth playing for.
The decision goes back to WCL 2025 in England. India Champions refused to play Pakistan Champions twice, first in the group stage and then in the semi-final, and India still received points for the group game they forfeited.
On 3 August 2025, the PCB announced a blanket ban on future WCL participation. Its official statement said the organisers’ handling of those matches was “tainted with hypocrisy and bias”.
A week before this year’s tournament, the board told the team not to seek NOCs. Officials feared India would refuse to face Pakistan a second time.
The owners tried one way around the ban: changing the team’s name. That proposal was rejected too. The board has also barred the use of the Pakistan name in privately organised events without its clearance.
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Legends cricket runs on the badge. Retired players fly in for a few evenings in green, with a crowd that still treats it as Pakistan playing. Take the name off the shirt and it becomes an exhibition game among old teammates.
That is why the board refused the name change and not just the NOCs. Retired players no longer need central contracts or selection, so the name is the only real hold the board has over them. Let them play under another badge and the ban means nothing.
The tournament runs in Dubai and Sharjah until 18 October with Pakistan’s fixtures in limbo. Khan has said the franchise will not act against the board’s decision.
For the second edition running, India vs Pakistan legends cricket will not happen. Last year, India walked away. This year, Pakistan were never allowed to walk out.
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