Tribune News Network
Doha
Big and legendary stars will descend at the Asian Town International Stadium on Friday evening when the Gautam Gambhir-led India Maharajas take on Shahid Afridi’s Asian Lions in the opening clash of the Legends League Cricket (LLC) 2023 (at 5.30pm) with as many as 50 legends set to rock the tournament scheduled from March 10-20.
LLC has already created ripples in Qatar with tickets for the opening match being already sold out.
The all-round skills of Afridi and the pace of ‘Rawalpindi Express’ Shoaib Akhtar is sure to thrill the spectators. Sri Lankans Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dilhara Fernando and Upul Tharanga (wicket-keeper) are also part of Asia Lions.
Gambhir’s Maharajas have former India stars Harbhajan Singh, the Pathan brothers – Irfan and Yusuf, S Sreesanth, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa and Stuart Binny among others.
“Once the Lions are out, they always hunt and are hungry for success,” Afridi has been stating of the Asia Lions in the team’s tweets while Gambhir has been telling others to be wary of the Maharajas.
The stage is set for these two sides along with the World Giants power packed with Australians Aaron Finch (captain), Brett Lee, Shane Watson, West Indian Chris Gayle, New Zealander Ross Taylor, South Africans Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, England’s Monty Panesar and Paul Collingwood along with Ireland’s Kevin O’Brien and Afghanistan’s Asghar Afghan are all set to light up the event.
Speaking ahead of the tournament and commenting on the growth of LLC over the years, Raman Raheja, Co-founder and CEO of Legends League Cricket said, “Legends League Cricket has grown immensely since its inception. In the first season, we had 59 cricketers. Season 2 saw nearly 80 cricketers and now as we enter the third season with LLC Masters we have 89 cricketers to be a part of the tournament across the three teams.
“The greatest thing we have achieved this season is the addition of recently retired cricketers like Suresh Raina, Murali Vijay, Mohammad Amir, and Aaron Finch among others. It is a clear testament to the fact that LLC did create a strong demand and fans want to see them back on the field. With such positive developments, we are surely expecting the league to be much more competitive,” he added.
The glorious journey of this event since its inception has attracted huge television viewership and also sponsorship support. Skyexch.net is the title sponsor for the current edition.
LLC Masters arrived in Qatar after the domestic edition matches in India were played in front of packed stadiums.
The live broadcast for fans around the world will commence at 5.30pm Doha Time.
Eight matches are scheduled for the series, and all of them will be played at the Asia Town Cricket Stadium.
The teamscColor:>
India Maharajas: Gautam Gambhir (Captain), Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Mohammad Kaif, S Sreesanth, Ashoke Dinda, Pragyan Ojha, Suresh Raina, Robin Uthappa, Parvinder Awana, Manvinder Bisla (Wicket Keeper), Reetinder Singh Sodhi, Praveen Kumar, Pravin Tambe, Stuart Binny
Asia Lions: Shahid Afridi (Captain), Asghar Afghan, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez, Dilhara Fernando, Shoaib Akhtar, Upul Tharanga (Wicket Keeper), Paras Khadka, Thisara Perera, Abdul Razzaq, Abdur Razzak, Isuru Udana, Mohammad Amir, Nawroz Mangal, Sohail Tanvir, Diman Ghosh (Wicket Keeper)
World Giants: Aaron Finch (Captain), Brett Lee, Morné van Wyk, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson, Ross Taylor, Ricardo Powell, Monty Panesar, Kevin O’Brien, Tino Best, Denesh Ramdin (Wicket Keeper), Jacques Kallis, Hashim Amla, Christopher Mpofu, Lendl Simmons, Paul Collingwood.
