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BIRMINGHAM: Pakistan Champions owner Kamil Khan has reacted to the Pakistan Cricket Board’s (PCB) recent decision, which bars his franchise from using the country’s name in future editions of the World Championship of Legends (WCL).
Khan expressed his disappointment regarding the “blanket ban” announced by the PCB following its 79th Board of Governors (BoG) meeting.
The cricket board released a strong statement on Sunday, criticizing the WCL organizers for their “double standards and politically motivated behavior.”
This decision was made after the India Champions refused to play against the Pakistan Champions during the WCL 2025, due to the ongoing political tensions between the two countries.
India pulled out of two scheduled matches, a group-stage encounter and the high-stakes semi-final, both of which were called off without a ball being bowled.
Points were shared in the group game, while Pakistan advanced to the final via a walkover in the semi-final.
However, the final saw Pakistan Champions fall short once again, suffering a nine-wicket defeat to South Africa Champions, their second successive runners-up finish in the tournament.
Despite the disappointment, Kamil Khan remained upbeat about his side’s overall campaign and strongly defended the team’s identity.
“Just like the first season, Pakistan Champions performed really well in the second season too,” he said while speaking to the media in Birmingham.
“Unfortunately, we couldn’t win the final, which we really wanted to, and millions of Pakistanis were hoping for it as well.
“But the team played well throughout. One bad day doesn’t make a team bad. Losing one final doesn’t mean the Pakistan Champions is over.”
Reacting to the PCB’s ban, Kamil made it clear that his team will return and continue to exist independently of the cricket board’s jurisdiction.
“We’ve seen reports that Pakistan Champions won’t be back, but I don’t know where that’s come from. If it’s from the PCB, then I’m not sure why,” he stated.
“This is our own team. I own it. It’s a private league, and I am the owner. PCB does not own the team. There are so many private leagues around the world; no one can stop us from naming our team after our country. Pakistan is our pride.”
Kamil Khan further revealed that the participation of Pakistani players in WCL 2025 was fully approved by the cricket board, as NOCs were obtained prior to the event.
“We took NOCs from the PCB for all the players,” he shared.
“In fact, we also met with Chairman Mohsin Naqvi, who was supportive and helpful. I’m thankful to him for backing Pakistan Champions.”
He stressed that the team’s name was chosen to represent national pride, not to exploit official branding, and clarified that there was no infringement involved.
“There was no contact from the PCB before or after the tournament,” Kamil said.
“This is our national identity. We named the team accordingly. We didn’t use PCB’s logo or any of their branding, only their players, and that too after securing official clearance.”
READ: Pakistan’s star players join Northern Superchargers for The Hundred 2025
