Former World Cup-winning Australian coach John Buchanan and Lalchand Rajput have been named coaches of the India Maharajas and World Giants, respectively, for the Legends League Cricket benefit match on September 16 at the Eden Gardens Stadium in Kolkata.
For the first time, a special benefit match will kick off the much-anticipated season of the league in India, with earnings going to Kapil Dev’s Khushii Foundation, which supports girl child education.
Buchanan, regarded as one of the best coaches in the world, led Australia to multiple victories, including the ODI Cricket World Cup twice, the first-ever Champions Trophy triumph in 2006, and Ashes dominance in the early 2000s.
Rajput, on the other hand, is a well-known name in the cricketing world. Former India batsman has coached international teams including as Afghanistan and Zimbabwe. He also led the Indian side to a historic T20 World Cup victory in 2007.
Rajput and Buchanan will also coach the league’s LNJ Bhilwara Kings and Manipal Tigers, respectively.
“It is great to not only have legendary players but coaches as well, who have not only been part of their country’s biggest victories but also share a great relationship with each of the cricketing stalwarts. We welcome both of them and wish them all the best for the match at Eden Gardens,” said Raman Raheja, CEO and Co-Founder, Legends League Cricket.
The India Maharajas will be captained by one of the country’s most successful openers, Virender Sehwag, while Team World Giants will be led by South African legend Jacques Kallis.
As renowned players from ten countries take to the field, Sehwag’s Gujarat Giants and Gautam Gambhir’s India Capitals will square off in the league opener on September 17 in Kolkata.
The four-team division will also include Manipal Tigers and Bhilwara Kings.
The other venues for the upcoming Legends League Cricket edition, which runs until October 5, are Lucknow, New Delhi, Cuttack, and Jodhpur.
Season 2 will be televised live on Star Sports Network and streamed on Disney+Hotstar in four languages—English, Hindi, Tamil, and Telugu—with Disney Star as the official broadcasters.
If you are unable to watch some live cricket, you can keep tabs on the scores via the cricbuzz and cricinfo websites!
