Four franchises – Gujarat Giants owned by Adani Sportsline, India Capital of GMR Sports, Manipal Tigers of Manipal Group, and Bhilwara Kings of Bhilwara Group – came together with a joint purse of Rs. 32 crores to select 59 players from the draft of the upcoming edition of Legends League Cricket (LLC).
The draft included 79 cricketers and each team had a purse. 8 crore each. Each team will now have three more days to submit their final squad.
“Among the teams, Manipal Tigers spent the most amount 6.9 crore and balance with him 1.08 crores. He was closely followed by the capitals of India as he spent 6.3 crores and Gujarat Giants spent 5.51 crores on its stars. The kings of Bhilwara were the most economical to spend 5.62 crores. All of them have spent judiciously, the player mix looks great and it will be very interesting to see what each of them do on the field now. I wish everyone the very best,” said the league’s CEO and co-founder Raman Raheja.
The teams had already selected their captains and were given the opportunity to choose another player of their choice.
Manipal Tigers included former Australian pacer Brett Lee in their squad, while Gujarat brought in their domestic hero and former India wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel in the squad. India Capitals named Ravi Bopara while Bhilwara Kings picked Yusuf Pathan, who will now get a chance to team up with his brother Irfan in the tournament.
Apart from Patel, Gujarat Giants picked Sri Lankan spinner Ajantha Mendis and former New Zealand captain and left-arm spinner Daniel Vettori. West Indies batsman Lendl Simmons is likely to be headed by skipper Virender Sehwag while Mitchell McClenaghan will lead the pace department.
“It has been a fascinating draft today with Gujarat Giants securing the envisaged team mix for the upcoming season. On one hand, former Indian opener Virender Sehwag will captain the team and on the other, Gujarat’s top-order batsman and wicketkeeper Parthiv Patel will activate the game like never before,” said Satyam Trivedi, head of Adani Sportsline.
Another Australian fast bowler Mitchell Johnson was picked by India Capitals. The left-arm fast bowler will be supported by former England fast bowler Liam Plunkett. The team will also see former South Africa captain and legendary all-rounder Jacques Kallis wearing his jersey while Ross Taylor will shoulder the batting duties along with skipper Gautam Gambhir.
Team captain Gautam Gambhir said, “I am really happy with the team India Capitals have put on the table.
Apart from Lee, Manipal also picked spinner Muttiah Muralitharan. The former Sri Lankan off-spinner will get a chance to play alongside another off-spinner Harbhajan Singh, who is also the captain of the team. The Tigers’ other top buyers were former South African all-rounder Lance Klusener and former Sri Lanka wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitherana, who played a key role in helping their country win the 1996 World Cup.
The whole process of drafting players in virtual mode was both exciting and intense. Overall it was a great experience even though it was virtual. Manipal Tigers VC & MD (MEMG) owner S Vaitheeswaran said, “We are excited to be a part of this tournament and look forward to some great cricket.
For Bhilwara, former Australia all-rounder and 2015 ODI World Cup winner Shane Watson was the star pick. Apart from them, the team also picked Sreesanth and Monty Panesar.
Irfan Pathan, captain of Bhilwara Kings, said, “I really believe that we can do well if we have all the players available and they are all fit.”
The tournament will be a four-team tournament and a 16-match match. The league will begin on September 16 at the Eden Gardens in Kolkata and will be hosted in five different cities including Lucknow, New Delhi, Cuttack and Jodhpur.
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