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Pakistan Champions, the runners-up of the inaugural World Championship of Legends (WCL), have officially appointed former all-rounder Mohammad Hafeez as their new captain for the tournament’s second season, set to begin later this month in the United Kingdom.
The team announced the leadership change on social media with the caption: “The Professor takes the charge 🫡 We’re proud to announce Mohammad Hafeez as the 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐧 of Pakistan Champions for Season 2 🙌🏼”
The change in captaincy comes amid uncertainty over the participation of Younis Khan, who led Pakistan Champions in the inaugural edition, along with Misbah-ul-Haq.
In the first season, the Pakistan Champions, led by Younis Khan, impressed with dominant performances. They recorded convincing victories over Australia, West Indies, and India in the group stage, with the highlight being a 243/4 total against India, whom they restricted to 175/9.
Despite a solitary loss to South Africa in the league stage, Pakistan bounced back with wins over England and West Indies — the latter in the semi-final. However, in a nail-biting final, Pakistan set a target of 157 runs, which India chased down with five wickets in hand and five balls to spare.
This time around, Hafeez will lead the side in hopes of going one step further. The team will kick off their WCL 2025 campaign on July 18 against England Champions at Edgbaston. The high-profile clash between arch-rivals Pakistan and India is scheduled for July 20, also at Edgbaston.
So far, eleven players have been confirmed for the highly anticipated season:
Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Shoaib Malik, Sarfaraz Ahmed, Sharjeel Khan, Wahab Riaz, Asif Ali, Kamran Akmal, Aamer Yamin, Sohail Khan, and Sohail Tanvir.
The tournament will follow a round-robin league format followed by the knockout stage. The top four teams from the league will qualify for the semi-finals, both scheduled for July 31, with the final to be played on August 2 at Edgbaston in Birmingham.
With Mohammad Hafeez at the helm and a star-studded squad in place, Pakistan Champions will aim to reclaim glory in WCL Season 2 and lift the trophy they narrowly missed last year.
The WCL, a T20 tournament featuring retired cricket stars from six major nations — Pakistan, India, Australia, England, South Africa, and the West Indies — will be played in the July–August window. Following the success of the 2024 edition, expectations are high for an even more thrilling season this year.
WCL 2025 complete schedule:
League Stage
July 18 (Friday): England Champions vs Pakistan Champions
July 19 (Saturday): West Indies Champions vs South Africa Champions
July 19 (Saturday): England Champions vs Australia Champions
July 20 (Sunday): India Champions vs Pakistan Champions
July 22 (Tuesday): England Champions vs West Indies Champions
July 22 (Tuesday): India Champions vs South Africa Champions
July 23 (Wednesday): Australia Champions vs West Indies Champions
July 24 (Thursday): South Africa Champions vs England Champions
July 25 (Friday): Pakistan Champions vs South Africa Champions
July 26 (Saturday): India Champions vs Australia Champions
July 26 (Saturday): Pakistan Champions vs West Indies Champions
July 27 (Sunday): South Africa Champions vs Australia Champions
July 27 (Sunday): India Champions vs England Champions
July 29 (Tuesday): Australia Champions vs Pakistan Champions
July 29 (Tuesday): India Champions vs West Indies Champions
Knockout Stage
July 31 (Thursday): Semi-final 1 – SF1 vs SF4 (Edgbaston, Birmingham)
July 31 (Thursday): Semi-final 2 – SF2 vs SF3 (Edgbaston, Birmingham)
August 2 (Saturday): Final (Edgbaston, Birmingham)
