England Champions clinched their first win of the ongoing World Championship of Legends (WCL) 2025 as they defeated India Champions by 23 runs on Sunday, 27 July at Leeds. Ravi Bopara’s unbeaten century earned him the Player of the Match award. Meanwhile, it marked the third loss in four games for India Champions, the defending champions, who are yet to register a single win in this edition.
India Champions won the toss and opted to bowl first. England lost opener Phil Mustard for just one run, but Ian Bell (54 off 39) quickly took charge, forming a commanding partnership with Bopara. Bopara went on to score an unbeaten 110 off 55 balls, striking at 200. The Bell-Bopara duo added 131 runs for the second wicket.
Following Bell’s dismissal, Moeen Ali contributed with a brisk 33 off 13 balls in a 57-run stand, while Samit Patel added a quick-fire 20* off 9 deliveries. England Champions ended with an imposing 223/3 in 20 overs. For India, Harbhajan Singh picked up two wickets, and Varun Aaron claimed one.
In response, India’s chase began poorly with Robin Uthappa falling for a two-ball duck. Shikhar Dhawan scored 17 off 16 balls, but regular wickets hampered the innings. Ambati Rayudu (28), Yuvraj Singh (38), and Stuart Binny (35) offered decent contributions, but it was Yusuf Pathan’s blistering 52 off 29 balls that kept India’s hopes alive.
However, it wasn’t enough, as India Champions were restricted to 200/8 in 20 overs. England’s Ajmal Shahzad led the bowling attack with a superb four-wicket haul.
With this win, England Champions have boosted their chances of sealing the last remaining semi-final spot, as South Africa Champions, Pakistan Champions, and Australia Champions have already confirmed their places in the knockouts.
England now sit fourth on the table with three points from five games and a net run rate of +0.829, while India remain at the bottom, winless in four matches with just one point and a net run rate of -1.852. India’s final group-stage match is against West Indies Champions, where they will need a miraculous effort to qualify.
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