Legends League Cricket teams name rosters from players' draft

Four Legends League Cricket (LLC) selected 59 cricketers from the players’ draft on Friday. The four teams were the Manipal Tigers, Gujarat Giants, India Capitals, and Bhilwara Kings. The cricketers were selected virtually with a combined purse of Rs 32 crore.

The rosters

The Tigers selected former Australian player Brett Lee, former Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan, and wicketkeeper Romesh Kaluwitherana. South African all-rounder Lance Klusener will also be joining the Tigers while spinning legend Harbhajan Singh was appointed the team’s captain.

“Playing alongside all great players over the years, I have picked the nuances of the game which has made me a better cricketer. As a Cricketer, I did not get an opportunity to Captain the team but this will be something I am really looking forward to," said Singh.

“I love leading from the front and I hope I can do justice to the responsibility and faith shown on me."

The Giants attempted to balance out their team by picking former India wicket-keeper Parthiv Patel, Sri Lanka’s spinner Ajantha Mendis, and former New Zealand captain Daniel Vettori. West Indies batter Lendl Simmons will also be joining the team along with Chris Gayle, with Mitchell McClenaghan supervising the pace bowling department. Virender Sehwag is appointed as the team’s captain.

Meanwhile, the Capitals selected Ravi Bopara and Australian speedster Mitchell Johnson. The team also has former England pacer Liam Plunkett and former South Africa captain Jacques Kallis. Former New Zealand Ross Taylor reportedly will be on the batting duty while Gautam Gambhir will be the team’s captain.

"Really happy with the squad that India Capitals have put on the table. Congratulations to Ruchir (GM) and the team for the fabulous job," Gambhir said.

The Kings picked brothers Yusuf and Irfan Pathan, with the latter captaining the team. Former Australia all-rounder Shane Watson, a 2015 ODI World Cup winner, also joined the team, along with former Indian cricketer S. Sreesanth and English Monty Panesar.

"I am really happy with the team, especially the fast bowling unit, we have the best fast bowling unit. We have a couple of good finishers and we have a good left-arm spinner in Monty Panesar and few all-rounders,” Irfan said.

“So looking forward to this team, I am really confident that we can do well if we can have the availability of all players and they are all fit.”

Drafting process

The players’ draft had 79 cricketers, with 20 of them going unsold. Each team had a purse of Rs 8 crore and has three more days to submit their final roster. They can buy more players with the remaining purse.

LLC CEO and co-founder Raman Raheja said the Tigers spent the most at Rs 6,91,20,000 with Rs 1,08,80,000 remaining. The Capitals followed closely behind, spending Rs 6,38,80,000, while the Giants spent Rs 5,51,80,000. The Kings had the most economic spending at Rs 5,62,20,000.

Manipal Education & Medical Group vice chairman and managing director S. Vaitheeswaran said the drafting process was enjoyable despite being held virtually.

"Entire process of players drafting in a virtual mode was both exciting and intense. Real-time dashboard to check on players chosen, money spent, balance etc is a good innovation,” Vaitheeswaran said.

“The free Hit feature was a big hit! Overall it was an enjoyable experience despite being virtual. We are excited to be a part of this Legends tournament and look forward to some great cricket.”