Raina Applauds Sponsorship Withdrawal Following Cricket Final

Suresh Raina, the former Indian all-rounder, made a pointed remark seemingly directed at Pakistan Champions after they were defeated by South Africa in the World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 final in Edgbaston on Saturday.

Raina, a participant for India Champions in the recent tournament, shared an enigmatic message on X, formerly known as Twitter, commending AB de Villiers of South Africa for achieving his third century during the event. De Villiers’ performance was instrumental in his team’s victory, securing them the WCL title.

In his post, Raina also commented that India Champions would have decisively beaten Pakistan Champions if a match had occurred between them. This hypothetical encounter never transpired because India Champions withdrew from their two scheduled games against Pakistan.

The team’s decision to avoid their group-stage match and later the semi-final was attributed to ongoing political tensions and a commitment to keeping politics separate from sports.

Raina further acknowledged Nishant Pitti, the co-founder of EaseMyTrip, for his decision to withdraw sponsorship from the tournament’s final, which included the Green Shirts.

On July 30, EaseMyTrip officially declared its withdrawal as a sponsor for the India versus Pakistan semi-final, which was originally set for July 31 in Birmingham.

This announcement followed India’s qualification for the knockout stage, surpassing England and the West Indies based on net run rate despite securing only one victory in their four group-stage matches.

Pitti posted on X, congratulating Yuvraj Singh and the India Champions team for advancing to the semifinals, while restating the company’s stance against supporting any matches involving Pakistan.

Separately, WCL owner Harshit Tomar mentioned in an interview with an Indian journalist that numerous players from India Champions expressed a strong desire to compete against Pakistan Champions.

“I won’t mention names, but several players commented that they were eager to defeat them and deliver a significant response. Some even wished to dedicate their victory to the nation,” Tomar stated.

“A sportsperson’s method of demonstrating patriotism is through their performance on the field. However, some players opposed participating, respecting the widespread sentiments — and such emotions are valid and must be respected.”

Tomar clarified that the choice to withdraw from the matches against Pakistan was a joint decision by the team, not any single player. He admitted that the communication surrounding this decision could have been better handled.

“It was a collective decision, not made by an individual player, although it could have been communicated more effectively,” he added.