Former India captain Sourav Ganguly will join a host of retired cricket legends from around the world in the inaugural edition of the Masters Champions League Twenty20 tournament, to be held in the United Arab Emirates in January 2016. Ganguly has been signed up for the Libra Legends franchise, the first of the six teams to be unveiled at an event in Mumbai on Monday.
The tournament will start on January 28 and go on till 14 February, and will feature ‘masters’ such as Brain Lara, Adam Gilchrist, Wasim Akram, Virender Sehwag, Kumar Sangakkara, Shoaib Akhtar, Brett Lee, Mahela Jayawardene and Jacques Kallis.
The team, owned by Pooja Jhunjhunwala, Lalit Kiri and Hanwant Khatri of Popcorn Sports & Entertainment Private Limited, is the first team to be unveiled for the league.
There is also set to be a high level of Indian connection with the league – apart from Libra Legends being owned by Indian owners, there were reports that Bollywood actors Shah Rukh Khan and Sanjay Dutt were interested in owning teams as well.
Privileged to have Ganguly: Libra Legends
Confirming Ganguly's inclusion in the team at the launch of first franchise of the league here, Libra Legends' co-owner Pooja Jhunjhunwala promised to gift the fans quality entertainment, according to IANS.
"We are happy to announce Sourav Ganguly as a member of our team. We are privileged to have such a player like him in our side. We wish to give quality entertainment to the fans through this league," the Libra Legends co-owner said here on Monday.
Former Australia batsman Allan Border and ex-England captain Graham Gooch are members of the MCL governing council. The tournament will comprise six teams in its first year, with a total of 90 players taking part in 15-member squads.
The MCL has got permission from the ICC, and promises to be the second high-profile cricket extravaganza after the recent success of the All-Stars series launched by Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne in USA.
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