Pakistan Champions pull out of World Championship of Legends 2026 after PCB refuses NOCs

Pakistan Champions have pulled out of the World Championship of Legends (WCL) Season 3 in the UAE after the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) refused No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to the players, ESPNcricinfo reported on Monday night. The India Champions vs Pakistan Champions match set for 10 October will not take place, and the tournament goes on with six teams.

Why the PCB said no

The dispute goes back to last year. In WCL 2025 in England, India Champions refused to play Pakistan Champions, first in the group stage and then in the semi-final, and Pakistan went through.

This time, according to Indian news agency PTI as carried by ThePrint, the PCB set two conditions before it would clear the players:

1. A written apology from the Indian players for refusing to play Pakistan in 2025.
2. An assurance that the two teams would shake hands.

The organisers accepted some of the PCB's terms but not the apology or the handshake commitment, and without NOCs the players, all retired Pakistan internationals, could not take part.

What the two sides said

Pakistan Champions said: "We respect PCB's authority and its decision, while naturally being disappointed that our players will not have the opportunity to represent Pakistan Champions."

The WCL said Pakistan Champions "will not be participating in WCL Season 3 due to unforeseen circumstances" and added: "The game is still on."

The tournament without Pakistan

Dates and venues are from the organisers' announcement reported by ANI. Shahid Afridi had been named among the legends expected to return.

What it means for Pakistani fans

• No Pakistan games to watch in this WCL. If you bought tickets for the 10 October match in Dubai, check with the ticket seller about a refund; the WCL has not announced a refund policy.
• The real cricket is at home this week. Pakistan's new T20I side under Sahibzada Farhan plays Sri Lanka from Friday 9 October in Rawalpindi: Pakistan vs Sri Lanka 2026 schedule and results, and why Salman Agha and Babar Azam were left out.
• Today's fixtures and live scores are on our cricket today page.

The PCB has not issued its own statement on the NOCs at the time of writing. We will add it here if it does.