Former India all-rounder Yusuf Pathan smashed 80 off just 40 balls with five sixes and nine fours to lift India Maharajas to a six-wicket win over Asia Lions in their opening match of the Legends League Cricket in Muscat on Thursday (January 20). The Indian side won by 6 wickets with Yusuf Pathan and Mohammad Kaif stitching together a match-winning partnership.
The Pathan brothers have rolled back the years as a stellar knock from Yusuf and an all-round display from Irfan have helped the Maharajas open its campaign on a high. Not to forget the gritty knock from skipper Kaif who held one end brilliantly with an unbeaten 42 in the chase.
During the run-chase, India Maharajas completely lost their way at top with score reading 34/3 in 6.1 overs, with Shoaib Akhtar bowling superbly inside the powerplay. The match looked almost done and dusted and this is when Yusuf Pathan walked out to bat who completely turned the game on its head. Irfan Pathan (21* off 10) played a crucial cameo, it was eventually Mohammad Kaif (42* off 37) who completed the job leading from the front, taking his side over the line.
The inaugural season of Legends Cricket League is set to kick-off on January 20 at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat, Oman. Three star studded teams India Maharajas, Asia Lions and World Giants will compete for the coveted trophy during the ten-day tournament.
The tournament will go on for a period of nine days starting from January 20th and the squads were recently named for the upcoming edition. However legendary batsman Sachin Tendulkar will not be taking part in this tournament which is a massive miss for the fans. Yet, there are some legendary names in the squads with a lot of entertainment awaiting on the cards.
Names like Yuvraj Singh, Virender Sehwag, Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi and many more from the past will once again face each other. And players like Daren Sammy, Daniel Vettori, Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Kevin Pietersen will participate for World Giants. It is a 10-day tournament that will be held at the Oman Cricket Academy Ground in Muscat, Oman.
India Maharajas: Virender Sehwag, Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh, Irfan Pathan, Yusuf Pathan, Subramaniam Badrinath, RP Singh, Pragyan Ojha, Naman Ojha, Manpreet Gony, Hemang Badani, Venugopal Rao, Munaf Patel, Sanjay Bangar, Nayan Mongia, and Amit Bhandari.
Asia Lions: Shoaib Akhtar, Shahid Afridi, Sanath Jayasuriya, Muttiah Muralitharan, Kamran Akmal, Chaminda Vaas, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Azhar Mahmood, Upul Tharanga, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammed Hafeez, Shoaib Malik, Mohammed Yousuf, and Umar Gul, Asghar Afghan.
World Giants: Kevin Petersen, Darren Sammy, Daniel Vettori, Brett Lee, Jonty Rhodes, Imran Tahir, Owais Shah, Herschelle Gibbs, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Corey Anderson, Monty Panesar, Brad Haddin, Kevin O’Brien, and Brendan Taylor.
Where can I watch the League Cricket League 2022?
TV Channels: SONY TEN 1 and SONY TEN Live Streaming: Sony LIV app in India. Time: All matches will start at 8 PM IST
Full Schedule:
January 20, 2022: India Maharajas vs Asia Lions, 8 PM IST
January 21, 2022: Wolrd Giants vs Asia Lions, 8 PM IST
January 22, 2022: World Giants vs India Maharajas, 8 PM IST
January 24, 2022: Asia Lions vs India Maharajas, 8 PM IST
January 26, 2022: India Maharajas vs World Giants, 8 PM IST
January 27, 2022: Asia Lions vs World Giants, 8 PM IST
