Kamil States PCB Granted NOCs to All National Players for WCL 2025 Participation

BIRMINGHAM: The owner of Pakistan Champions, Kamil Khan, has voiced his disagreement with the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) decision to potentially prohibit his team from using the nation’s name in upcoming World Championship of Legends (WCL) editions.

Following its 79th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting, the cricket governing body declared the imposition of this restriction on Sunday, pointing to alleged double standards and politically influenced actions by the tournament organizers.

The controversy is primarily due to India Champions’ choice to forego two scheduled games against Pakistan Champions—a league-stage match and the highly anticipated semi-final—because of strained political relations between the two countries.

Consequently, both teams were awarded a point each for the abandoned group-stage match. Pakistan Champions were given a walkover in the semi-final, allowing them to move on to the final.

In the final, Pakistan Champions were defeated by South Africa Champions by nine wickets, finishing as runners-up for the second year running.

During a press conference, team owner Kamil reflected on his team’s performance in the WCL 2025, praising their efforts and emphasizing that one setback doesn’t signify the end.

Kamil stated, “Pakistan Champions performed exceptionally well in the second season, similar to the first. Unfortunately, we were unable to secure the win in the final, which we and millions of Pakistanis were hoping for.”

He continued, “However, the team demonstrated great skill. A single poor performance does not define a team. Losing one final does not spell the end for Pakistan Champions.”

Kamil further addressed the PCB’s choice to potentially restrict players from joining the league, affirming his ownership of the team and guaranteeing its return for the next season.

“The team will definitely be back. We have seen reports suggesting Pakistan Champions will not return, but I am unsure of the origin of this information. If it came from the PCB, I am unaware of the reason,” he remarked.

“This is our Pakistan Champions team. I am the sole owner of this team. It is a private league, and I am the owner. The PCB does not have ownership. There are numerous private leagues globally, and no one can prevent us from naming our team after our country. Pakistan is a source of pride for us,” he emphasized.

The Pakistan Champions’ owner then revealed that the national players had complete authorization to participate in the WCL 2025, as the PCB had granted them NOCs.

He further mentioned that the team’s management had also met with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi in relation to this, and that the latter had shown support for Pakistan Champions.

“We acquired NOCs from the PCB for all of our players. We also consulted with PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who provided significant support and assistance. I am extremely grateful for his support of Pakistan Champions,” Kamil stated.

He concluded, “There was no communication from the PCB either before or after the tournament. We used our national identity to name our team. We did not use the PCB logo or any of their branding, only their players, and only after securing formal approval.”