A bunch of former cricketers are set to return to the sport to compete in Legends League Cricket 2023. The tournament will play a series of 8 matches and begin on March 10, end on March 20. This will be a curtain raiser for the league and fans will be able to witness some great match-ups among yesteryear legends.
All the matches of Legends League Cricket 2023 will be played at Doha’s West End Park International Cricket Stadium in Qatar. Retired cricketers from more than 12 countries will take on one another to reignite some of the biggest rivalries of the past two decades in this competition.
The 2023 edition of Legends League Cricket will feature 3 teams – India Maharajas, Asia Lions, and World Giants – contest this prestigious tournament for supremacy. The three teams will compete in a round-robin league format and the top one teams will qualify for the final. The remaining two teams will participate in an Eliminator and the winner will face the table-toppers.
Notable cricketing legends like Shahid Afridi, Aaron Finch, Gautam Gambhir, Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee, Muttiah Muralitharan, Phil Mustard, Irfan Pathan and Tillakaratne Dilshan featured prominently.
Table of Contents
The Background of the Legends League Cricket
Legends League Cricket is a global competition for retired cricketers that was launched in 2022 and has had two successful seasons so far. Legends League Cricket is an international T20 cricket league, aims to bring together cricketing greats in an unforgettable experience.
The inaugural edition was held in January 2022 in Muscat, Oman and featured three teams–India Maharajas, Asia Lions and World Giants.
Later that same year it was expanded to four for its second installment which took place in September 2022. The second season of the competition was commenced in India across six major cities. Subsequent matches in a double round-robin format, an Eliminator round, and then the final will conclude the league.
Schedule
| Match 1 | March 10 | India Maharajas vs Asia Lions |
| Match 2 | March 11 | World Giants vs India Maharajas |
| Match 3 | March 13 | Asia Lions vs World Giants |
| Match 4 | March 14 | Asia Lions vs India Maharajas |
| Match 5 | March 15 | India Maharajas vs World Giants |
| Match 6 | March 16 | World Giants vs Asia Lions |
| Match 7 | March 18 | Eliminator Match (2nd Position vs 3rd Position) |
| Match 8 | March 20 | Final Match (1st Position vs Winner Eliminator) |
Squad
Ahead of the tournament, a number of famous cricketing legends have been announced as coaches for the three masters teams that include India Maharajas, Asia Lions, and World Giants. Lance Klusener will coach the India Maharajas, while Dav Whatmore will coach the Asia Lions, and Lalchand Rajput will coach Asia Lions.
Led by Gautam Gambhir (India Maharajas), Shahid Afridi (Asia Lions) and Aaron Finch (World Giants), these teams boast some of cricketing history at their peak performances.
- Indian Maharajas
Gautam Gambhir (c), Stuart Binny, Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, M Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, S Sreesanth, Praveen Kumar, Reetinder Sodhi, Manvinder Bisla, Pragyan Ojha, Robin Uthappa, Ashok Dinda, Joginder Sharma, Parvinder Awana, Pravin Tambe
- Asia Lions
Shahid Afridi (c), Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Hafeez, Misbah-ul-Haq, Abdul Razzaq, Shoaib Akhtar, Sohail Tanvir (Pakistan), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Isuru Udana, Thisara Perera, Upul Tharanga, Dilhara Fernando (Sri Lanka), Rajin Saleh, Abdur Razzak, Dhiman Gosh (Bangladesh), Asghar Afghan, Nawroz Mangal (Afghanistan), Paras Khadka (Nepal)
- World Giants
Aaron Finch (c), Shane Watson, Brett Lee (Australia), Chris Gayle, Lendl Simmons, Ricardo Powell, Denesh Ramdin, Tino Best (West Indies), Hashim Amla, Albie Morkel, Jacques Kallis, Morne van Wyk (South Africa), Ross Taylor (New Zealand), Monty Panesar, Paul Collingwood (England), Kevin O’Brien (Ireland), Chri Mpofu (Zimbabwe)
India Maharajas
The India Maharajas of Legends League Cricket 2023 are a star-studded team that includes a host of former Indian stars. They are feature Yusuf Pathan, Irfan Pathan, M Vijay, Harbhajan Singh, Suresh Raina, Mohammad Kaif, S Sreesanth and more. In addition to Indian cricketers, India Maharajas features players from Asia and the rest of the world. Aaron Finch, Chris Gayle, Jacques Kallis and Brett Lee are among the former internationals who will be a part of the team.
Asia Lions
The Asia Lions are composed of former cricketers from India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, and Afghanistan. They have a strong lineup that includes players like Upul Tharanga, Tillakaratne Dilshan, and Shoaib Akhtar. They also have a number of international players like Misbah-ul-Haq, Asghar Afghan, Mohammad Hafeez, and Shahid Afridi.
They have won the opening two matches of the competition so far, and their confidence is growing with every win. They are ranked top of the table at the moment, and it will be interesting to see how they perform against World Giants in the third match of Legends League Cricket 2023.
It is a spin-friendly wicket, and the Asian Lions made use of it. Upul Tharanga and Tillakaratne Dilshan opened the batting for the Lions, and they got off to a good start.
They reached the 50-run mark with a boundary and another six, and they will need to find a way to defend against this attack. They also need to get back on track with the bat. It is going to be a tough task for the Lions to keep up with the pace of the attack, but they will give it their best shot.
World Giants
The World Giants are placed second in the points table after two matches. They are led by ex-Australian opener Aaron Finch, who will be joined in the team by a host of international stars. Among them are the likes of Ross Taylor, Jacques Kallis, Kevin O Brien, Chris Gayle, Shane Watson and Aaron Finch.
Points Table
( Latest Update after Match Day 4 )
| Rank | Team | P-W-L | Points |
| 1 | Asia Lions | 3-2-1 | 4 |
| 2 | India Maharajas | 3-1-2 | 2 |
| 3 | World Giants | 2-1-1 | 2 |
When and Where to Watch the Match Live
The match will start at 8 p.m. Indian Standard Time (IST). Legends League Cricket will be broadcasted live in three parts: UK; China; and Australia via Fox Sports. Psyched4 will be the digital streaming partner in the UK; FanCode and Disney+Hotstar will serve as official digital partners in India.